Grow On You
by Kitake Neru
Summary: Hilda has been labelled a traitor for running away with the little prince. To prove her innocence she must find that one man who can unlock the prince's power. Thing is, she doesn't like him. Not one bit. AU
1. The Sleeping Prince

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 1 - The Hunt Begins**

* * *

Sounds of rushed footfalls passed by her hiding place and Hilda slowly expelled the breath she had been holding. It wasn't easy shaking off the Sniffers with their dogs, but she wasn't trained to be a royal guard for nothing. For the first time in her life, she found herself using every bit of knowledge she knew to go around every bit of security she had helped set up.

Useless, she thought. All those years of making sure the army is well-trained comes down to this - a manhunt. For her.

The bundle in her arms remained oblivious to all, sleeping soundly. She took a moment to adjust her hold on the baby, making sure her dagger was within easy access. Hilda was never one to strike first, but extreme situations called for extreme measures. They would expect her to be rational. They would expect her to not draw a weapon before explaining herself. They wouldn't be expecting her to do the exact opposite, because that's just not her.

"Being predictable has its advantages afterall," She managed a wry smile. Who would believe that after seven loyal years of serving the King and Queen and given trust to protect the youngest Prince, she would suddenly run away with him? Not her. Not Hilda. But she had to. It was necessary, because she had to protect him.

But first, she had to get out of the kingdom. Making sure that the coast is clear, she muttered a chant and then noiselessly slipped out of the tree trunk she had been hiding in. She had limited magic at her disposal and they knew that, but nobody knew she could phase into and out of solid matter. Silence in all directions; that meant those bastards who were after her had gone.

No, she corrected herself as she stared at the sleeping baby; they're not after me. They're after him.

"Milady," A large, heavyset man appeared next to her. "I have secured an Akbaba nearby. Let us make haste now before they come here again."

She nodded and allowed the man to lead her to a small clearing where a large bird was tethered to a tree. The insignia emblazoned on its saddle was the Zebub Royal Crest, which indicated it was a military bird. That meant it would obey orders. Good. "Rise," Hilda commanded and the bird got to its feet. She then mounted the bird and looked at her companion. "Provide cover while I escape, Alain Delon."

"Yes, milady," Alain Delon bowed and shapeshifted into her before sprinting into the undergrowth.

As the Akbaba took flight she mentally calculated that it would be at least an hour before they realize that she had left the country, but that was enough.

"I will find a Channeler for you, Young Master," She said aloud as she kissed the sleeping prince's forehead. "This Hilda will not stop until you are back in the royal palace where you belong."

"She escaped?"

Yolda knelt before her master, silently seething for letting Hilda slip through her grasp. Her twin sister had proven time and time again that she could be obstinate when she decided to be, and not even the whole of the Pillar Squad could capture her. "Lord En, they have Alain Delon with them. He led our men on a wild goose chase while Hilda escaped on an Akbaba."

Lord En, a boy barely in his teens let out a growl of anger. Outside, thunder echoed his sentiments and Yolda sneaked a glare at Isabella. She took the hint and stepped up. "Lord En, if I may… now that Prince Belze is gone, wouldn't it be better to concentrate on getting into the King's good graces? When he returns from his campaign you should portray yourself as a caring brother who did everything you could to detain the traitor from running off with the little prince."

"What traitor?" Lord En growled and Sachura giggled. "Why, Hilda of course! That terrible woman took the opportunity when the King and Queen are away and ran off with the baby prince to goodness-knows-where. You sent your personal squad to find them, but alas," Sachura sighed dramatically. "Tragic, isn't it?"

Realization dawned on the boy and he began to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. And then; "Salamander!"

A fair-haired man materialized in the throne room and bowed. "You summoned me, Lord En?"

"That curse of yours, can it really not be broken?" Lord En leaned forward expectantly and Salamander took a moment to compose his answer.

"My lord, no curse is unbreakable. However to break the sleep curse on Prince Beelzebub, he must find a Channeler compatible with his power wavelength. And we all know that is quite impossible – every Channeler in the kingdom has gone through the ritual and not one managed to synchronize with him."

"What if Hilda tried to find a Channeler outside the kingdom?" Sachura questioned mildly. "It's possible that someone out there can be a Channeler, right?"

"The possibility is very small," Salamander smiled. "She would need to have the devil's luck to find that one particular Channeler before any of my men can find _her_."

"That's fine then," Yolda smirked. "Because if it's one thing Hilda doesn't believe in, it's luck."

* * *

A/N: And it begins. If you like it, do drop me a line and tell me what you think!


	2. The Man With The Devil's Luck

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill, Beelzebub isn't mine.

**Chapter 2**

**Grow On You**

~ The Man With The Devil's Luck ~

* * *

"Royal straight flush!" Oga Tatsumi cackled as he threw his hand onto the table. "Who's ya daddy now, eh? Eh? Eh?" He did a little victory pose, irking his friends.

Furuichi Takayuki sweat-dropped as he looked at his own hand, a measly pair of Jacks and odds and ends. "Damn you, but you really have the devil's luck."

"Six royal straight flushes in a row," Hidetora tossed his own hand onto the table, groaning and lay back on the ground. "That's it. I'm never playing poker with you ever again, Oga. Not even if you put me at sword point hanging over a cauldron of oil. Y'hear me?"

Tatsumi gleefully raked in all the coins he won into his money pouch. "This beats ambushing caravans any day."

"Speaking of which, I heard a merchant caravan coming in with silks and spices should be passing any day now," Takayuki idly chewed on a blade of grass as he looked down the hill slope where a road snaked through. At the moment it was deserted, which was why the three bandits were passing time by playing poker.

"Silks eh?" Hidetora grinned. "Sounds like a good haul. Any idea on the escort?"

"Meh, probably some armed horsemen. Nothing you two can't handle," Takayuki arched an eyebrow at his two companions. Of the two, Toujou Hidetora was easily the bigger brawler but Tatsumi could match him punch for punch despite being the lighter pugilist. He had found Tatsumi beating up some thieves on the highway because they had stolen some bananas from a kid, and then extorted all their money before letting them go. It had been such a strange scene that Takayuki offered him to be a partner in crime, and what's more surprising was that Tatsumi agreed. It helped that the man had a reputation (Oga the Ogre). Half the time whenever they ambushed some unsuspecting merchant, said merchant would just surrender upon hearing Tatsumi's name. Handy, that.

Hidetora was a different case. The two of them were looking for a carpenter to repair Takayuki's cottage and they found him at the marketplace, offering his carpentering services. Hidetora and Tatsumi hit it off almost immediately and soon joined their merry band of theives. Soul brothers, Takayuki thought. Equally dense, equally idiotic, equally strong.

But equally loyal and kindhearted, even if they don't show it.

"After this I'll be out for a bit," Hidetora stretched. "An old lady asked me to help rebuild her cottage. That last storm shook it around a bit."

"You're still sitting in the market offering to be a handyman?" Tatsumi chuckled. "You're hopeless."

"It's not like we get to rob people every day," Hidetora fake-punched Tatsumi. "Gotta do something with my time... unlike you, you bum."

"Aaah?" Tatsumi twitched. "Better not do anything than spend all my earnings on women, you lecher."

"Shhh," Takayuki suddenly got down and laid flat on the ground. "I hear something."

The other two automatically followed suit. At first there was no change to the scenery below, but presently there came the sound of clanking wheels and bells, followed by hooves. And what a sight it was!

For a moment, even the two clunkerheads were stunned. And then Hidetora found his voice thought it was but an urgent whisper. "Oi! You said it's a merchant caravan carrying silk and spices!"

Takayuki gulped. "Well, I guess my info isn't quite right is it?"

"Damn right it isn't," Tatsumi was viciously kicking Takayuki. "That procession is St. Ishiyama's!"

The procession below consisted of eight horsemen flanking a covered carriage, all in pure white and shining gold. The St. Ishiyama emblem was on all the flags, pennants and saddle-covers, and that alone told the bandits what procession it was –

A royal procession.

"Might be the King in there," Hidetora muttered. "Or the princess. They got a princess, right?"

"Quite a few, if rumors be told." Takayuki squinted and suddenly whipped out a pair of binoculars. "I hear they're all drop-dead gorgeous too, heheheheh…"

"This is a waste of time," Tatsumi slowly backed away and Hidetora followed suit. "This is just not our day, man."

Meanwhile Takayuki whistled when he caught a glimpse of the passenger in the carriage. "Whoa, she's a beaut…" And then he frowned slightly. _Something's not quite right with her costume…_

He looked again. And then raised his eyebrows his surprise. "Well I'll be damned… oi, Oga! Toujou!" Upon noticing they had left him, he quickly scrambled after them.

* * *

She had been travelling through the night and her whole body was stiff and sore. But she didn't dare to stop travelling, afraid that they were right behind her. Baby Belze slumbered on, safe and warm in his blanket. She took a moment to study her charge, wishing he would (by some miracle) open his eyes.

"Milady!"

Hilda forced herself to sit upright as a large black crow approached her. Judging by the off moustache-like markings on its beak and its unnaturally long eyelashes, she knew who it was. "You succeeded, Alain Delon?"

"Yes, milady. But you musn't let down your guard for they will be searching for you."

"Ha." She chuckled wryly. "I can already imagine what trouble they're stirring in the capital. If I know Isabella well, she will have proclaimed me a traitor and a kidnapper for running away with the prince. By the time the King and Queen return, there will be no hope left for me."

"But milady, why did you run?" Alain Delon landed on the Akbaba to rest his wings. "If you had stayed in the capital, when His Majesty returns he can find a way to lift the sleeping curse on the prince without a Channeler."

"You know who cursed the prince," She said sharply. "Salamander will never admit to it and accusing him doesn't do any good either because without a Channeler, he will never wake up. No, we must find the Channeler, wake the prince and then return to Makai."

Alain Delon looked contemplative. "Milady, what if we never find the Channeler?"

Hilda's eyes darkened and she gripped the prince tighter. "Then we never return," She said in a low voice; "If that's what it takes to protect the Young Master."

The Akbaba suddenly gave a lurch and Hilda grabbed onto the reins. "Whoa! What is wrong!"

Alain Delon jumped off the bird and eyed it anxiously. "I fear it is fatigued, milady. We have flown it further than it has ever done before," He looked down at the ground, surveying the terrain. "I do not even know where we are."

Hilda grit her teeth as the Akbaba gave another violent lurch and screeched. "Alain Delon!" She snapped; "Transform into something bigger!"

"But M-Milady I cannot carry you even if I do," He stammered and she hissed. "Not me, the prince you fool!"

Alain Delon instantly shape-shifted to a large eagle and grabbed the sleeping Belze while Hilda tried to regain control of the failing Akbaba. But all her efforts seemed for naught for the bird gave one last squawk and fell out of the sky. Alain Delon could only watch in horror as his mistress plummeted to the ground. "Miss Hilda!"

* * *

"Oi you two, wait up!" Takayuki caught up with them and gasped for breath. "That girl in the carriage, she's not a St. Ishiyama princess!"

Hidetora and Tatsumi exchanged looks and then back at Takayuki. "So?" They asked in unison.

_For once_, Takayuki clenched his teeth in irritation; _for once can you two keep up with the news?_ "She's wearing the royal colors of Touhoushinki, you dolts. You know, the four allied states of the north?"

Their blank gazes indicated that both men had no idea what Takayuki was prattling on about, so he was forced to elaborate. "The four allied states of the north borders our country and Makai. I hear one of the states is ruled by a woman, a really beauty."

"So you think the girl is the carriage is her?" Tatsumi asked slowly, processing this new information.

"Who else could it be? Royal carriage, royal procession, ergo royalty," Takayuki laid out his reasoning. "You think those stuck-up snobs from St. Ishiyama would let just anybody to ride in a royal carriage?"

Hidetora was about to answer that when he caught sight of something in the sky. He blinked and shaded his eyes to see better. "… What is that?"

"What?" Tatsumi followed his line of vision and squinted. "… Looks like someone falling…"

The three friends were stock still, following the falling figure. It was Takayuki who snapped out of it first. "Shit he's gonna die damnit!" Takayuki suddenly screamed and the trio began running to intercept the falling man.

"Milady!" Alain Delon screeched as he kept alongside Hilda in her descent. She had long pushed away from the Akbaba and was free falling to her death – but not if she could help it. Uttering chants, she regulated the flow of power in the air to cushion her fall, but it could only do so much. She managed to slow her descent somewhat though the ground was still coming up pretty fast. "Alain Delon, pull away!" She shouted. "The prince! Keep him airborne!"

Alain Delon had nothing to say to that. Giving an eagle's cry, he drew back and watched his mistress fall. Hilda meanwhile had closed her eyes in fear. _I never imagined this would be the way I die. _Gritting her teeth, she braced for impact –

And got the wind knocked out of her before crashing to the ground and scraping to a halt. Momentarily stunned, all she could register was that she was clamped in the jaws of a dragon, her body hurt and there was a painful ringing in her ears…

But she was still alive.

* * *

A/N: Our hero's grand entrance... sort of. Hope you enjoyed it! ^^


	3. Hilda the Sword and Shield

Disclaimer: Beelzebub and its characters do not belong to me.

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 3**

~ Hilda; Sword and Shield ~

* * *

"_Hilda, that is enough."_

_The diminutive twelve-year old drew back to allow her opponent to rise. Their mentor, an aged man who sported a gnarled cane patted her firmly on the shoulder for a job well done. Her opponent bowed stiffly to her in acknowledgement of defeat._

_"You are ready, I feel. The royal palace will be lucky to have you."_

_Luck has nothing to do with it, she thought. I work hard and train every day. It is simply natural to be selected if you fulfill all the requirements. Is that not the way the world goes?_

"_Congratulations, Yolda!"_

_Hilda looked up across the courtyard to see her twin sister, Yolda standing above her own defeated opponent. Dimly she felt a flitter of pride; so Yolda has passed too. Yolda's friends, Isabella and Sachura crowded around her while laughing and jumping in delight. The three girls could pass for sisters, given how they are always together._

"_It is unfortunate, however," Her master had continued speaking and Hilda forced herself to pay attention. "What is it, master?"_

"_At the moment Prince En requires only three servants. I feel it is unfair to separate Yolda with her friends, don't you think? Would it be alright if you are assigned elsewhere, Hilda?"_

_So they won't be serving the same master, Hilda thought with a twinge of disappointment. Ever since they first enrolled in the academy she had Yolda had never been together in a class, ever. She had hoped that when they graduated, they would serve together. But…_

_Seeing Yolda laugh and hug her friends, she forced her own feelings away. They had never been close; things would be alright just as they are. "It is alright, Master," She said softly. "I do not mind."_

It is pure skill, she reflected. She had always been the better fighter, the better strategist. But she never expected to be assigned to the Queen while Yolda, Isabella and Sachura were assigned to the newly born Prince En. In effect, she outranked her sister by miles and Yolda never forgave her for that. Yolda grew out her hair and wore it down as opposed to Hilda's tight bun. While Hilda swept her hair to the side, covering one eye Yolda made hers middle parting. Hilda adopted a demure attire and Yolda defied it by flaunting her assets as much as she could. Hilda used a sword, Yolda went for a staff.

And for years, both sisters exchanged nothing but terse greetings.

The tension died somewhat when Prince Beelzebub was born and Hilda was reassigned to the little prince, but flared again when it was discovered that Prince Belze hid a power reserve that rivaled his brother's, equalling the king's eventhough he was but an infant. Thus the King declared Prince Belze to be the next king despite Prince En being the older of the two. Once again Yolda pushed her sister away, believing that Hilda had planned for all this.

And now…

The 'dragon' groaned and with a jolt Hilda realized it was but a man, and his 'jaws' were in fact his arms holding her tightly to him. He had taken the brunt of the fall; that much she could tell judging by the way he was hissing in pain. She herself sustained little more than scratches, but the cumulative pain and strain of the past days began to make itself known in her limbs.

"Oga!" Another man came up. This one was smaller, more feminine. "Oga, are you okay? Oi!"

"Great," The man named Oga groaned and slowly released his vice hold on Hilda, sitting up with difficulty. "Don't shout idiot Furuichi, my head hurts."

Takayuki took a moment to size up Tatsumi's 'catch'. _This must be my lucky day,_ he thought almost gleefully. First the Touhoushinki princess, now a blonde bombshell! Never mind that said blondshell still clutched Tatsumi's tunic like her life depended on it. "Anyone will tell you tackling a falling object is an idiotic thing to do," Takayuki admonished him as he inspected his comrade for injuries. Though he had seen Tatsumi handle three bulls with nothing more than scratches, the man had never tried to dive-tackle a falling girl before. "You're just bruised, thank the stars," He then turned to Hilda and held out his hand to inspect her. "Are you alright, Miss – "

"Don't touch me," She snapped, slapping his hand away and as if realizing her hypocrisy, released her hold on Tatsumi's front. She frantically looked around. The prince, where was Prince Belze?

"Dude, I caught us dinner," Hidetora called out as he approached them, happily swinging an eagle in one hand. The eagle was out cold. In his other hand he carried…

"Young Master!" Hilda gasped and stumbled to her feet. Or at least she _tried. _ Her trembling knees gave way and she landed ungainly on the ground, gasping in surprise. Hidetora arched an eyebrow. "This yours, lady?" He handed Prince Belze to her and she cuddled it tightly. Thank goodness he appeared to be unharmed…

"You caught the titch, but not that?" Takayuki pointed to the large shadow of a bird flying away. With a surge of anger Hilda realized the Akbaba had not been tired at all – it was simply faking! She angrily berated herself for being outwitted by a bird.

_Wait. If the bird believed we are dead and reports so to Prince En, isn't it to our advantage?_

Alain Delon was slowly coming to. When he realized he was held by the neck, he quickly transformed into a snake and slithered out of Hidetora's grasp, much to the man's shock and horror. "Snake!" He screeched and leapt away. "Get it away from me!"

Hilda found her strength and got to her feet. "Alain Delon," she held out her hand and the shapeshifter obeyed, turning itself into a sword. Tatsumi got to his feet and glared warily at her swordpoint. "Y'know, it isn't that hard to say 'thanks'."

"I never asked you to save me," She said shakily. "I could have survived the fall on my own without your help."

"Riiiiiight," Hidetora's gaze lowered to her shaking knees. Still he made no move to approach her – the way she held her sword bespoke one who had undergone swordsmanship training. "Look lady, if you're okay then – "

His words stopped short when he noticed Hilda's sway. Alain Delon immediately shifted back to human form and clutched her before she dropped to the ground. "Miss Hilda?"

Takayuki stared at the obstinate woman for a moment. "I think she needs a medic. If you go over the hill, there's a road that will take you to the capital."

Alain Delon looked down at Hilda, who was pale and breathing shallowly. "I cannot do that," He managed. "Carrying Miss Hilda is beyond my capabilities."

Hidetora raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Takayuki. "We can't take her either. But…"

"How about Ishi village?" Takayuki suggested. "It's not much further and we could probably find a medic…"

"Anywhere that doesn't hang up our wanted posters is game with me," Tatsumi rubbed his sore neck and stared at Hilda. Even in her weakened state she still had the audacity to glare at him. "You're bandits?" She asked hoarsely. "Unhand me. I need no help from knaves."

Tatsumi tsk-ed and without warning took her from Alain Delon, half-supporting her while she held Prince Belze in her other arm. She was about to protest but was silenced by his glare. "Shut up. I'm not happy about this either so don't think you're the only one with problems, lady."

Takayuki laughed and Hidetora shrugged. "Let's get going man, I got a cottage to repair."

_Your Majesty,_ Hilda thought dimly as she began walking with Tatsumi's support; _Your son has fallen into the company of thieves. But…_ She closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment of relief; _We are safe._


	4. Enter Lamia

Standard disclaimer applies.

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 4**

~ Enter Lamia ~

* * *

_She knew something was wrong when she entered the Prince's bedchambers that morning. The gauzy drapes that concealed the sleeping infant in his cot had been disturbed from whence she had left last night, and apart from the King, the Queen and herself, nobody else was allowed to enter the chambers._

_She had walked quietly to the cot, noting the prince's regular breathing. While it was not unusual for the Prince to sleep deeply, she had felt something… strange about it. Pushing the drapes aside, she carefully gathered the Prince into her arms. "Young master," she shook him gently._

_Nothing. Not even a gurgle._

_Alarm crept into her heart and she shook the prince a little harder. "Prince Belze? Prince!"_

_His irresponsiveness confirmed her fears. With an angry turn of heel, she stormed out of the room and headed straight for Prince En's wing of the castle._

_At the entrance Salamander and Naga, two of Behemoth's Pillar Squad halted her. "What business do you have with His Highness?"_

"_Move aside," she snapped but they remained unmovable. "Watch your words, nursemaid," Naga said icily. "You're not just Prince Belze's caretaker, not the Queen's personal maid."_

"_So don't try to pull rank on us," Salamander smiled mockingly and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I need to see Prince En," She said with enforced calm. "Let me pass."_

"_Oh, is the little prince not waking up?" Salamander leaned close to Prince Belze and Hilda took an involuntary step back. There was something off about Salamander's sly smile… _

_And then it hit her. "You cursed him," She whispered. "You put a sleeping curse on the prince!"_

"_Now, now, don't go around hurling accusations like that Hilda," His smile was getting bigger now. "Just because we won't let you see the Prince doesn't make us baddies, you know."_

_She wanted to say something – anything! But held her tongue and stalked off in another direction. Naga watched her retreat and arched an eyebrow. "Where do you think she's going?"_

"_To see Dr. Folcass, probably." Salamander chuckled. "But the good doctor won't be able to help her this time, I'm afraid."_

* * *

Hilda woke up with a jolt and sat up, wincing at the pain. It wasn't anywhere specific; her whole body ached. Muscles screamed in protest as she swung her feet off the bed and stood up, catching sight of her reflection in a full-length mirror. Her uniform was gone, instead she was garbed in a rough cotton shift. Looking around in alarm, she couldn't find her clothes anywhere… and she was in a strange room. Alone.

Panic seized her. Prince Belze!

There was a knock on the door and a pink-haired girl tentatively poked her head in. "Are you awake, miss?"

Hilda roughly pulled the door open, pushing the girl aside. "Where is the Young Master?"

"Tone it down, will ya?" Tatsumi's annoyed voice made her stop. She stormed over to him with a furious glare. "Where is the Young Master?"

Tatsumi picked his ear disinterestedly. "He's having breakfast."

Her eyes widened until they were round like two saucers. For a fleeting moment Tatsumi thought if he tapped the back of her head, they'd fall out!

"W-What did you say?" She stammered.

He grinned. "_Juuuuust_ kidding. He's sleeping with Toujou. O'er there – OI!" He narrowly avoided a punch and straightened up again with a frown. "You're not a morning person are you?"

"Insensitive fool!" she hissed as she ran towards Hidetora's room. Tatsumi blinked and then chased after her. "Oi! You can't go in there! Toujou – "

Too late, Hilda had kicked the door open and rushed in. He caught up with her only to find her rooted at the foot of the bed, face as red as a tomato. " – sleeps in the nude," Tatsumi finished lamely.

Indeed the brawler was haphazardly snoring away with nothing on him - not even a handkerchief to cover his modesty. The infant was nestled in the crook of one arm while still swathed in his blanket, oblivious to the current situation.

Hilda slowly turned around and stared at Tatsumi. "… Please take the Young Master," She said woodenly after a very pregnant pause.

Tatsumi looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. He scooped up the baby nestled in Hidetora's arm and gave it to her. "Look, you were out cold and we didn't want the babe to disturb you if he woke up. So Toujou offered to look after him while you slept."

She cast a sidelong glance at Tatsumi as she walked out of the room, making sure not to turn around too far. "There is no danger of that. The Prince cannot wake up."

Tatsumi frowned slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. _What does she mean by that? Ah... women._

"Miss Hilda?"

Hilda looked up to see the pink-haired girl shifting uncomfortably in the hallway. She promptly remembered her earlier rudeness. "I'm sorry for pushing you earlier. I hope you're not hurt."

"Oh no, I'm fine…" She trailed off as she stared at the baby. "A sleeping curse?"

Tatsumi raised his eyebrows. "A what?"

"How do you know that?" Hilda narrowed her eyes and held Prince Belze tighter, taking a step back. "Who are you?"

Takayuki, attracted by the commotion had appeared. "What's all this racket?"

"Answer me!" Hilda roared and lifted her hand, crackling with magic.

"_SHUT UP!"_

Everyone visibly flinched at the angry roar and turned to see the source – and Lamia promptly shrieked; "PERVERT!" and ran away in embarrassment.

Hidetora stood at his doorway blinking grouchily, _bare as the day he was born_. "Can't you see people are tryin' to sleep here?"

Takayuki was stunned. Tatsumi was about to say something when he noticed Hilda was shaking, and the energy ball in her hand was actually getting _bigger_. "You…" She trembled in fury; "You indecent fool!"

Tatsumi instantly held her back, keeping her hand up and away from the unsuspecting Hidetora. At the same time Takayuki quickly pushed Hidetora inside and slammed the door after him, screaming; "Put on some clothes! _Clothes!_"

"Calm down! Calm-_down_!" Tatsumi struggled with Hilda, and after a few minutes she gave in and dismissed the energy ball, breathing heavily. After making sure she wasn't about to blow a hole in the wall, he gingerly let her go – and she promptly dropped to her knees. Alarmed, Tatsumi held her steady. "You crazy woman. You just woke up and lost your temper like a banshee. Do you have a deathwish or something?"

"… I don't want to hear that from you," Hilda mumbled, cursing herself for being so weak. Fool, fool. "The medic girl, where is she?"

Tatsumi hollered for Lamia and she came after making sure Hidetora was nowhere in sight. After assessing Hilda's state, she produced a vial filled with clear liquid. "Take three drops with a glass of water. It'll restore your energy. But I still advise you to rest in bed the whole day."

"And the young master?" She asked hoarsely. "Can you do something about the curse?"

Lamia looked troubled by this. "There must be a condition, isn't there? Until you fulfill the condition, the baby won't wake up."

Tatsumi watched the blonde woman closely. The despair in her emerald eyes contrasted so starkly with her fierce nature that for a moment he almost believed she would burst into tears.

Almost.

"Is that so…" She said weakly. "Then Dr. Folcass is right… there is no way to break the curse without the right Channeler."

"Dr. Folcass?" Lamia's eyes lit up. "How do you know Dr. Folcass?"

"He is the Palace physician," Hilda frowned. "And how do you know Dr. Folcass?"

"He's my mentor," Lamia beamed and then blinked. "Wait… that would mean you're from Makai palace!"

For the first time, Tatsumi saw Hilda straighten up proudly with a smile on her face. "I am Hildegarde, a royal nursemaid," She then uncovered the blanket so that Lamia could see the infant properly; "And this is Prince Kaiser de Emperana de Beelzebub IV, heir to the throne of Makai."

* * *

Salamander stood still as the keeper of the Akbaba squad finished his report. Curtly dismissing the soldier, he returned to Prince En's chambers to find Yolda waiting. "What news?" She asked simply.

"The Akbaba dropped them somewhere in the southern region, near St. Ishiyama," Salamander looked thoughtful. "It could not determine if they were alive or dead when it flew off."

Yolda's brow creased slightly. While falling from a great height was enough to kill most people, she somehow had a feeling her sister would not be thwarted by gravity. "And you believe they are dead?"

"... That's difficult to say isn't it?" Salamander smiled. "You and I know that Hilda is much more powerful than she lets on. She can still be alive and looking for a Channeler even as we speak."

"... I will send some men to that area then," Yolda put her hands on her hips. "Listen, until we can confirm their deaths we shouldn't let Lord En know. Let him think they're dead."

"And what if they're not?" Salamander returned mildly. "You know we cannot kill the prince. What do you want to do?"

"We can't kill the prince," Yolda's eyes hardened; "But we can kill Hilda."

* * *

A/N: I had a little trouble deciding Belze's name… honestly I'd rather just call him Prince Beelzebub but his full name (as stated in the early chapters of the manga) felt much more… royal. Do tell me what you think!


	5. Truths and Lies

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: Time to answer some reviews.

**bleachcrazyass: **Thank you!

**Massu Chan**: The name 'Belze' follows the Japanese pronunciation of the word 'Beelzebub', which is 'Beruzebabu'. I simply took the 'Beruze' part. Hope it doesn't disturb you too much^^

**Illusion137:** Certainly! Romance is in here, somewhere.

**pinksamurai1014:** Do keep reading^^

**LadyCastle:** Thank you for reading! I'm happy you like it =)

**ogaxhilda:** Thank you for reading my work^^ I really appreciate it^^

**Dolly****: **Much appreciated!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 5**

~ Truths and Lies ~

* * *

Lamia, in her own way was sneaky. She told Hilda that the medicine would restore her strength but neglected to mention that it was a powerful sleeping draught. Thus the nursemaid quickly fell asleep after consuming it and Lamia gently set the sleeping prince next to her before returning to the kitchen, where the others were waiting.

"So… how did you three idiots end up with the prince?" Lamia sat backwards on a chair and rested her chin on its back. Takayuki scratched his chin, smiling uneasily. "How to begin?"

"They fell out of the sky," Hidetora said in way of explaining.

"Off a giant bird," Tatsumi added as if it made things crystal clear.

Lamia twitched but held her ground. She had known the men for a few years now and no longer gave in to the urge to kick them for every idiotic remark they made. "I mean," she said slowly; "How did you end up bringing them back here?"

The two brawlers exchanged looks as if saying; 'You say it'. The staring match ended with Hidetora's loss and he reluctantly turned back to Lamia. "Lady was injured," He shrugged. "B'sides, she had a baby. We couldn't just leave her."

"Eh-hem, if I may…" A deep voice made everyone jump in surprise. Takayuki gaped at Alaindelon, who now stood behind his chair. "What the – where did you come from?"

"I am Miss Hilda's weapon," Alaindelon introduced himself. "Bathin de Emuna Alaindelon, or simply Alaindelon if you like. I have faithfully served Miss Hilda ever since she became a royal maid."

"A Shapeshifter huh?" Lamia peered at him with interest. "I thought the Shapeshifter bloodline is extinct."

"Almost," Alaindelon said proudly; "But not yet. But please let me explain why Miss Hilda is with the Prince so you may understand our plight better."

"A bedtime story, whoopie," Tatsumi muttered as he slumped down in his chair. Alaindelon ignored him and began his narrative:

"It is tradition that the throne of Makai be inherited by the eldest son to the King. Currently the eldest son is Prince En, fifteen years of age. Until Prince Belze was born there was no doubt that he would succeed the throne and he grew up with that belief, becoming spoilt.

"Prince Belze's birth changed everything, however. The Prince conceals a vast reserve of power which at the moment cannot be drawn out without a Channeler to synchronize with him. The King changed his mind and declared Prince Belze to be the next King, and this angered Prince En. Though Prince En cannot harm Prince Belze directly, he can use other means to stop Prince Belze from ascending the throne."

"The sleeping curse?" Lamia guessed and the Shapeshifter nodded. "Indeed. Under Prince En's personal army is a man named Salamander who specializes in curses. He had cast a spell on Prince Belze with the condition that until the prince finds a suitable Channeler and synchronizes with him, the Prince will never wake up."

Tatsumi suddenly snorted. "Why didn't Hilda just beat the shit out of Sally and get it over with?"

The whole table smothered snickers at Tatsumi's impromptu nickname for Salamander. Alaindelon shook his head with a troubled look. "Although Miss Hilda is sure that Salamander is the one who cursed the prince, she has no proof. Salamander is not the only one who knows the sleeping curse. Should she wrongly accuse him, she could be imprisoned or worse, killed. Currently the King and Queen are both in absentia and Prince En is in charge of ruling. Until the King and Queen returns, she knows her life and the Prince's is in danger, so she fled Makai."

"You let a fifteen-year old rule a _country_." Hidetora stated this with disbelief. "Are you all idiots?"

"Prince En is not ruling alone, of course," Alaindelon despite all still defended the belligerent prince. "He has advisors at his side; however the ones that he trusts the most are his personal entourage; Yolda, Izabella, Sachura and the general of his Pillar Squad, Behemoth."

The whole table was silent for a moment, digesting this information. To Takayuki it was clear that they had somehow stepped into a tangled mess. The sooner Hilda recovered the better.

"I didn't know Prince En would turn out to be such a brat," Lamia sighed. "When I left the palace he was such a cute and sweet-tempered baby."

Tatsumi stared at her for a long time, and finally he leaned forward. "Oi Lamia. Just how old are you, exactly?"

Both Takayuki and Hidetora nodded, the strangeness of her words finally sinking in. Lamia grinned in her sixteen-year old face. "Finally realized it? You three really are idiots. I'm twenty-nine this year."

There was a pause. And then:

"_NO SHIT?_"

"You're older than me!" Hidetora gaped.

"It must be the result of the healing arts," Alaindelon stroked his moustache. "Nobody knows how old Dr. Folcass is, but he has served both King Beelzebub II and III and still looks like a thirty-year old man."

"I finished my training with Dr. Folcass when I was fourteen," Lamia giggled. "I didn't actually notice that I wasn't aging until about five years later, when I realized I still fit my old clothes."

"It is likely you left just before Miss Hilda entered the royal service," Alaindelon offered; "Hence she did not recognize you."

"Well that's enough about me. So you're looking for a Channeler?" Lamia stretched in her chair. "Back when I was training with Dr. Folcass I heard a rumor about a Royal Channeler who defected to Touhoushinki. It's been fifteen years, but you might want to see if she's still around."

"Which state of Touhoushinki?" Takayuki asked. Lamia scratched her chin as she tried to recall it. "I think it's Reddo Teiru – " She stopped when Tatsumi, who was in the process of standing up staggered back and crashed into his chair, toppling over with an undignified squeak. "… Are you alright, Oga?"

Dazed, on the floor, Tatsumi twitched. "Yeah… fine. I'm bored, gonna go outside."

"Gotta go see that old lady about a cottage," Hidetora too rose from the table and looked at Alaindelon. "Look, we don't mean anything bad but this shit is way above our heads."

"We understand," Alaindelon said simply. "Miss Hilda does not wish to involve you in our problems either, so you may rest at ease. We will depart when she has sufficiently recovered."

Lamia treaded water for a moment, thinking. "Entering Reddo Teiru is almost impossible for men, unless you have permission from someone really high up. Any ideas?"

Takayuki stared at her for a moment and slowly a scheming smile blossomed on his face.

"I think I do have an idea, actually."

* * *

**Spoiler**

"Reddo Teiru is a city of women," Takayuki's insane grin even creeped Lamia out. "You perverted idiot, stay home!"

"Nuh-uh," Takayuki gloated. "_I_ came up with the idea to enter Reddo Teiru. There's no way you're leaving me out! Right, Alaindelon?"

"Lord Takayuki," Alaindelon's eyes shone. "You are our savior! Do accept this Alaindelon as your servant!"

"...? NO FREAKIN' WAY!"


	6. Spider's Web

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: To all who have expressed approval on this fic, thank you! Enjoy the latest chapter ^^

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 6**

~ Spider's Web ~

* * *

"_Hildegarde, come here."_

_The queen's guard got up from her post and approached the King. "Yes, Your Majesty?"_

_The King slowly opened the door to the Queen's chambers and pointed out to the sleeping monarch. In the dim light Hilda could make out the shape of a baby nestled in the queen's bosom. There was something so poignant, so ethereal about the scene that for a moment she struggled to breathe._

"_That is my son." There was pride, great pride in the King's voice. "And soon he will be your new master, Hildegarde."_

_She looked up at him, surprised. "Me? But what about the Queen?"_

"_Ah, I think Zen can shoulder that responsibility easily. More importantly Hildegarde, this boy will be a great king. I can feel it. I want him to be raised by the best… and that is you." The King patted her head proudly, much like a parent would._

_Her heart fluttered at the praise and she swiftly kneeled, head bowed. "This Hilda is truly honored by your trust, Your Majesty." She clenched Alaindelon, sheathed in her belt.  
"I swear upon my life that I will devote all my being to the Young Master. Never will I fail you!"_

_The King's pleased smile was all the encouragement she needed. She took another peek at the new prince. Her master._

"_Prince Belze," Her eyes shone in happiness._

* * *

Tatsumi watched her stir. The sleeping draught that Lamia gave her was strong stuff; she awakened not once since she fell asleep yesterday afternoon. That aggravated Tatsumi - he had given up his nice comfy bed so she could rest. He had tried sleeping in Hidetora's room but the brute snored like a foghorn. Takayuki's bed smelled of… well Tatsumi didn't want to think about it. So he ended up back in his own room, leaning against the door and watching that monster woman sleep.

After he returned from his walk earlier Lamia told him that Takayuki intended to ask for help from the Touhoushinki princess, who was currently visiting St. Ishiyama. That bothered him. One, because he couldn't enter St. Ishiyama without being handcuffed for the various crimes he had committed over the years. Two, because she wanted to go to Reddo Teiru.

Reddo Teiru. He suppressed a shudder. Of all the places in the world, why there? Why did that damn Channeler-whatever have to park her ass in the one place Tatsumi would _never_ go to?

"_So what is a Channeler, exactly?" Takayuki scratched his head. "I still don't get it."_

_Lamia took her time to figure out how to explain it. "Everyone has a certain soul frequency and wavelength," She started carefully. "When two powers collide the one with the stronger frequency and longer wavelength will win. Remember the energy ball Miss Hilda tried to throw to Toujou?"_

"_Like hell I can forget that," Takayuki sweat-dropped._

"_That's a collection of her soul wavelength," Lamia nodded. "It's really difficult to explain to people who aren't magically trained but… it's enough to say that in this world there are people who can vary their soul wavelength to match other people. We call them Channelers. But even Channelers have limits to how far they can adjust their soul wavelength. It's likely that Prince Belze's soul frequency is so high that even the Royal Channeler can't match it. That's why Miss Hilda is trying to find one so that the sleeping curse can be broken." _

"_So you think this Ikaruga person can uh… match with the baby prince?" Takayuki ventured._

"_It is possible. I heard from Dr. Folcass that her capabilities outshine even Lord Saotome's."_

"_Well I'll go and find info on the Touhoushinki princess."_

"_You're coming?" Lamia asked curiously. "But Oga and Toujou have flat-out refused to help."_

_"Reddo Teiru is a city of women. You think you can keep the great me away from such temptation?" Takayuki's insane grin even creeped Lamia out. "You perverted idiot, stay home!"_

_"Nuh-uh," Takayuki gloated. "I__came up with the idea to enter Reddo Teiru. There's no way you're leaving me out! Right, Alaindelon?"_

_"Lord Takayuki," Alaindelon's eyes shone. "You are our savior! Do accept this Alaindelon as your servant!"_

_"...? NO FREAKIN' WAY!"_

Tatsumi shifted uneasily on the floor, suddenly envious of how comfortable Hilda looked sleeping on _his_ mattress and _his_ pillow, covered by _his_ blanket. "Hurry up and get better, damn woman," He muttered crossly. "I want my bed back."

* * *

Dawn was breaking as Angelica walked into the hospice. The palace had still to show signs of coming to life but that didn't really bother her. Working with Dr. Folcass, one tends to forget the time of day. Tut-tutting at the mess of bandages on the examining table, she gathered and tidied everything up. Satisfied, she absently called out; "Doctor?"

She looked at the closed door leading to Dr. Folcass' private chambers. Once he gets into his research, he was known to not leave his room for days at end. Angelica walked up to the door and knocked. "Dr. Folcass? Do you have any dirty dishes or laundry for me to wash?"

Silence.

She frowned slightly. It had been three days since he locked himself in his room. She imagined the smell that awaited her beyond the door and that made up her mind. She found the spare key hidden behind a cabinet and unlocked the door.

What greeted her on the other side of the door was so gruesome that it tore a terrified scream from her throat.

_"Dr. Folcass!"_

Within five minutes of the alarm Prince En was roused and in the throne room, looking extremely annoyed. "What is going on?" He demanded to the people scurrying about. Sachura could only shrug helplessly.

Presently Yolda entered the chambers with a wizened old man that Prince En recognized as the general of his Pillar Squad, Behemoth. "Tell me what's happening, Yolda," Prince En ordered.

Yolda glanced at Behemoth and answered; "Your Highness, Dr. Folcass' body was found in his office earlier."

"Dr. Folcass's body?" Prince En's eyebrows shot up. "You don't mean... he's... dead?"

"Yes," Behemoth said gravely. "We've interviewed his assistant, Angelica. She said that the last person to see Dr. Folcass was Hilda, that morning before she ran away with Prince Belze…" He let the words hang in the air. But Prince En picked them up, igniting his temper.

"Hilda… so she killed Dr. Folcass?" Prince En was shaking with suppressed anger now. "Has Hecatos and Graphel returned with news?"

"Not yet, Your Highness," Yolda hesitated and Prince En gave a shout of anger. "Find them! If they're alive I want Hilda brought back to be punished!"

He utterly missed the cunning look in his advisor's eyes; especially Behemoth.

* * *

**Preview**

****Kunieda Aoi stared in astonishment at the man who had single-handedly beaten down her four escorts. He was crouched at the front of the carriage, a blank look on his face. "You the Touhoushinki princess?"

She quickly gathered her wits and narrowed her eyes, holding her head high. "I am. Who might you be?"

He scratched his cheek and shrugged. "Your kidnapper."


	7. Unexpected Luck

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: I considered dividing this into two parts but… what the heck.

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 8**

****~ Unexpected Luck ~

* * *

Saotome Zenjyuurou cut an impressive figure as he zipped down the palace hallway, his long coat flapping in his wake. A cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth that was perpetually twisted in a scowl. Servants hurriedly stepped out of his way, afraid he would blast them or worse –

"Lord Saotome!" A chambermaid squealed in distress when Zenjyuurou gave her backside a passing grope. "Need to eat more, Suzy," Zenjyuurou commented offhandedly as he walked off. "You're a little lacking in the padding."

"I… I am _not_!" She flushed indignantly. "And please do not wander about Prince Beelzebub's wing, milord. This place has been closed down!"

And he didn't need to ask why; several days ago the palace was in an uproar when a royal nursemaid kidnapped Prince Belze and killed Dr. Folcass. He had been away at the time and only found out the news when he returned. _Funny_, he thought. _Even after mobilizing the entire squad they didn't manage to catch Hilda. I didn't know they make nursemaids that tough._

_But then again Hilda had always been an exception._

"Lord Saotome~" A soft feminine voice dripping with honey made him stop. It came from a half-ajar door and out of curiosity he walked into it – and was promptly rooted to the spot. After a few failed tries to free his feet, he clucked his tongue in annoyance. "Shadow bind. You're so unoriginal, Quetzalcoatl."

Out of the shadows a tall slender man sporting the face paint of a jester appeared with an enigmatic smile. "Pity. What gave me away?"

Zenjyuurou snorted as he took a drag from his cigarette. "You called to me in a girl's voice, but there's no perfume in here," He said roughly and with a wave of his hand concluded; "You suck."

Quetzalcoatl chuckled and released Zenjyuurou from the Shadow Bind. "I figured you'd be curious, but I was hoping you'd play along a bit. Where have you been these past few days anyway?" He pouted.

"Astray," He replied with a warning tone in his voice. _None of your business, so eff-off._ "So?" Zenjyuurou stubbed out his cigarette and flicked it away. "What do you want? I'm busy."

Quetzalcoatl perched at the edge of a table and regarded Zenjyuurou with that blank expression, his painted smile making it unsettling. "How much have you heard about the recent events?"

"Nursemaid went rogue, kidnapped the prince and killed the doc." Zenjyuuro commented offhandedly. "Pretty heavy shit."

"Mm-hmm. Prince En's in a foul temper because of it. Guess who they sent to get the nursemaid back?"

"…" Zenjyuurou fished around on his person for another cigarette. "Who?"

"Hecatos and Graphel."

He paused in the middle of shaking out a stick from its box. "Naga's underlings? If the rumors are true she bypassed Behemoth's entire squad. A _nursemaid_. And they sent just two Pillars to get her back?"

Quetzalcoatl smiled enigmatically at the Royal Channeler. "Rumor has it," He said silkily; "That Hilda was thrown off a stolen Akbaba. They're expecting to find her dead or close to death at least."

Zenjyuuro lit the fresh stick of nicotine and thought for awhile. He was not all that familiar with Hildegarde, believing her to be a stick in the mud. But he did not deny the possibility of them surviving somewhere out there.

"We'll know for sure," he said at last; "When Hecatos and Graphel return."

Quetzalcoatl giggled creepily. "Oh I don't think they will."

* * *

"Lady Kunieda!" Oomori Nene gasps as she briskly walked to the carriage. "What is the meaning of this? Why are you suddenly leaving?"

Kunieda Aoi grimaced as she watched the general of her army climb into the carriage with her. She had hoped to slip out without Nene noticing. "I wanted to visit the nearby village," She said truthfully. "I heard rumors of a very skilled healer lives there. I thought…"

"ALONE?" Nene screeched. "Are you crazy? That village is a hideout for bandits and cutthroats!"

"Really Nene, they can't all be bad," Aoi smiled uneasily and gave in. Her general could be so bull-headed sometimes. "I guess I should bring some guards?"

"Damn right," Nene whistled and three women appeared by the carriage. The tallest, a female with purple hair and sporting the regulation Reddo Teiru military uniform stepped forward. "You summoned us, General?"

"Kaoru, Chiaki, Yuka. You're coming with me."

The three called for horses and pretty soon they set off.

Inside the carriage, Nene sat with her arms folded as she sternly regarded the Princess of Touhoushinki. "You know you cannot just go anywhere as you like. We're guests of the Rokkisei and they'd kill me if anything happened to you."

Aoi sighed. "I know Nene, I'm sorry. It's just that… the city is so _rigid_. I can't breathe in there."

Nene studied her superior for a second. For all her skill and station Aoi was in truth pretty much like an average 18-year old girl – compulsive, shy, curious.

But Aoi was no ordinary girl, she thought with a twinge of guilt. Born as the heir to the throne of Reddo Teiru, she had been groomed from birth to be the perfect queen. She was not normal, not one bit. She had known nothing of outside life other than what her underlings told her. In fact this visit to St. Ishiyama marked the first time she left the city-state.

"Alright," Nene said finally. "We will go to the village and I will find news about that healer. You will _not_ come out of this carriage, is that clear?"

Aoi grimaced but nodded.

* * *

Tatsumi grumbled and swore under his breath as he walked back to the house he shared with Takayuki and Toujou. His arms were weighted with bags of supplies, and with each step his irritation grew. How did he become saddled with grocery shopping? Granted he had nothing to do but neither did Lamia. Hidetora was repairing someone's cottage and Takayuki had disappeared, probably to gather intelligence. But that wasn't even the worst of it.

"Walk faster, fool. It's too hot."

A vein popped at his temple. _Why did the demon woman have to come along?_

Hilda walked at his side, cradling the little Prince in her arms. He had encountered her outside when he left the house and she had simply tagged along without his invitation. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her why she didn't just _leave_ the kid behind but the last time he had asked her something, he got a painful jab to the crotch. So much for hospitality.

"Hmm? What is that?" Hilda had stopped to see something. Tatsumi, glad for a reprieve set down the bags and followed her line of vision.

Parked in the outskirts of the village was a snow white carriage. Four women in blood-red uniforms had just dismounted from their horses.

"Is that not the St. Ishiyama crest?" Hilda asked mildly. "What are they doing here?"

Tatsumi sighed and was about to pick up his groceries again when the carriage door open and he saw who was inside.

A female in the royal Touhoushinki colors.

In a thrice he had disappeared in a rush of wind, much to Hilda's astonishment.

Chiaki was the first to sense him. "Assault!" She cried and swiftly drew her revolvers, tracking the incoming object. Nene frowned, her chain swinging from her grasp. "He's fast. On guard!"

No sooner had she said that did Tatsumi appear above their heads. With a perfectly executed midair-kick he knocked Kaoru's sword away and delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious. Landing on the ground he dodged Nene's chain and Chiaki's bullets before punching Yuka in the stomach, knocking her out. Using Yuka as a shield he pushed her towards Nene, who instinctively caught her friend.

Bad move.

Tatsumi zipped behind her in her moment of confusion and knife-handed her as well. Chiaki dodged for the trees but was knocked out by an energy ball that hit her squarely in the back.

Tatsumi turned to see Hilda standing a few feet away, remnants of energy crackling at her fingertips. "You missed one," She said simply and earned a scowl from the man. "I didn't. Butt out of my fights."

She shrugged and they walked to the carriage but suddenly dodged in alarm when a flash of light sliced through the top of the carriage, severing it off. Tatsumi was instantly on the edge of the carriage but just as quickly he found himself looking down the tip of a very sharp katana. "Whoa, easy on the pointy stuff."

Kunieda Aoi stared in astonishment at the man who had single-handedly beaten down her four escorts. Judging by the noises she heard outside the carriage she had assumed there would be more than one, and he'd be a pretty big one to take down Kaoru. Instead the man crouched at the front of the carriage looked pretty average in height and build, and he was _bare handed_.

He stared at her with a blank look on his face. "You the Touhoushinki princess?"

She quickly gathered her wits and narrowed her eyes, holding her head high without moving her katana which was still aimed at his jugular. "I am. Who might you be?"

He scratched his cheek and pondered the question before he offered; "Your kidnapper?"

"This is the Touhoushinki princess?"

Aoi noticed a blonde woman cradling a baby standing by the carriage with a look of disdain on her face. "I was expecting someone more… royal."

"Excuse me?" Aoi squeaked. Tatsumi took that opportunity to disarm her, swinging the katana experimentally. "Nice sword."

"You – " she choked but quickly composed herself. "You can't kidnap me. When they wake up – "

"That won't be for awhile," Tatsumi leapt down and looked up at her. "Come on, I've kidnapped you. Get moving."

She blinked at him in astonishment. "… You want me to _follow you_?"

"Or he can sling you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes," Hilda offered with a cool expression as she readied another energy ball. "The choice is yours."

She looked first at Tatsumi then at Hilda, and couldn't decide who was worse.

And that was how Kunieda Aoi, princess of Reddo Teiru found herself walking between the two with not a clue what was going to happen to her.

* * *

**Preview**

"I will allow you entry into Reddo Teiru," Aoi said firmly and Takayuki raised an eyebrow. "I hear a 'but' in there somewhere."

Aoi had to applaud the man, he was sharp. "We visit somewhere else first. Don't worry, it's not far from Reddo. Maybe just a day's delay."

Hilda and Lamia exchanged looks and the latter curiously asked; "Where?"

Aoi suddenly blushed and fiddled with her fingers. "...Chinpira."


	8. The WinWin Proposal

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: Time to answer reviews:

**Massu Chan**: Well Aoi likes to misunderstand things and Hilda doesn't give a damn. Bad combo.

**Illusion137:** Isn't it? I wish he wasn't so honorable sometimes. And the flashbacks are easy to put at the beginning rather than somewhere in the middle. Glad you like it!

**Pinksamurai1014: **I thought it'd be a fun thing to do at the end of every chappy. Glad you like it!

**Jdcocoagirl: **Your wish is answered! Here's a new chapter!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 8**

~ The Win-Win Proposal ~

* * *

"_Aoi."_

_Six-year old Aoi tilted her head up to look at her grandfather. Ittousai patted her head kindly and Aoi closed her eyes in bliss. Visits from her grandfather were few and far in between and she cherished each one of them._

"_Have you been a good girl, Aoi?"_

_She nodded vigorously and furrowed her brows. "Lady Suiten is teaching me how to ch… ch…?"_

"_Channel?"_

_She nodded brightly. "Channel! It's really hard but I'm trying, grandfather."_

"_Good. Remember, you will one day rule Reddo. You must be prepared for everything."_

Everything.

Kunieda Aoi thought that perhaps her grandfather had not catered specifically for _this. _She was no stranger to kidnapping attempts, but this had to be the most bizarre, most unorthodox kidnapping she had ever seen.

And what made it even more perplexing was that it _worked._

The blonde woman named 'Hilda' walked behind her, occasionally shooting barbed comments to the man walking in front. He in turn would retort equally scathingly, or if words failed him he would simply grunt 'Bitch'.

No binds. No gags. No restrictive magic. They did not even seem to be bothered that they had kidnapped one of the rulers of Touhoushinki.

Her kidnappers brought her to a modest two-level residence that was set a little way off from the rest of the village. Inside, she saw a most astonishing sight.

A pink-haired girl was playing chess with a silver-haired youth. Both looked up upon their entry and Aoi saw the youth's jaw go slack in dumbfounded amazement.

But her attention was quickly sidetracked by a large bronzed man who entered from the back door, munching on a sandwich. "Oi Furuichi, I got some fried squid balls – " He noticed Aoi and he too stopped, gaping.

She blinked and stepped forward. "Aren't you – "

"Aren't you the Touhoushinki princess?" Takayuki suddenly shrieked, leaping from his chair to point a shaking finger at her. "Oga! What is this?"

"Eh?" Tatsumi set down the groceries and tested his shoulder as Hilda sat down in a chair, looking quite calm and answered in Tatsumi's place; "We have abducted her, as you can see."

"NO I _DON'T_!" Takayuki was beside himself with horror. "You were supposed to bring back groceries, not a princess!"

"I did bring back groceries," Tatsumi replied, feeling annoyed. "She's uh…"

"A free gift?" Lamia suggested with an amused giggle. Tatsumi shrugged. Hilda sniffed. "I saw her carriage enter the village and pointed it out to Oga. The idiot gorilla then assaulted her guards and declared her kidnapped."

"… What were you _thinking_?" Takayuki hissed and Tatsumi picked his ear. "I thought it was a good idea. You wanted to see her. She came, so I brought her. Simple."

It was amazing how incredibly simplistic his thought process was. At that moment with the exception of Hilda everyone in the room was staring incredulously at Tatsumi, wondering just _what_ went on in that strange head of his.

"In any event, we do not need to kidnap her permanently," Hilda said quietly. "I see no reason not to release her after we have obtained what we want."

Aoi meanwhile was staring at Hidetora, who glared at her with a meaningful look and shook his head. She pursed her lips and focused on the conversation at hand. "What, pray, do you need from me? Is it money? My life?"

"I knew it. She thinks we're a bunch of lowlife hoodlums," Takayuki moaned and slumped down on the table. "This is all your fault, Oga. My dream! My fantasies! All poof! Gone!"

"Shut up, you're brain dead." Lamia viciously stomped on his foot under the table.

"We need to find someone in Reddo Teiru," Hilda explained. "An ex-Royal Channeler from Makai named Ikaruga Nazuna."

Despite remembering that princesses should _not_ fidget, Aoi did it anyway. "There is an Ikaruga and she is a Channeler but her name is Suiten, not Nazuna. Perhaps she's a relative…?"

"Impossible. The name is uncommon. She most likely changed her name when she left Makai." Hilda's eyes were hooded as she thought deeply. "Would it be possible for us to enter Reddo Teiru to meet her?"

"I want to go!" Takayuki suddenly sat up, looking determined and ran up to Aoi, grasping her shoulders. "If you give me permission, I can enter rig – OW!"

Hidetora had shoved him back with a large hand to Takayuki's face. "Watch your hands! She's not just some harlot you can grab, idiot!"

"Pervert," Lamia muttered.

"Disrespectful," Hilda looked disgusted.

"Idiot Furuichi," Tatsumi slipped in his two cents and Takayuki twitched. "I don't want to hear that from you! Idiot Oga!"

"Um," Aoi cleared her throat, an idea suddenly occurring to her. A bold, dangerous idea. _She wanted to. _Her heart was thumping loudly at the thought of it. Nene would never approve.

That alone made her mind up. "I can grant you permission to enter the city," She said with a smile. Everyone stared at her and Takayuki wearily crossed his arms over his chest. "I sense a 'but' in there somewhere."

She had to applaud the man; he was sharp. "I'd like you to accompany me somewhere. After we visit my destination I will then return to Reddo Teiru with all of you. There will be no questions, since you escort me." Noticing Hilda looked like she wanted to say something Aoi quickly continued; "It's a short detour – a day at the most. Please," She couldn't believe she was actually _begging_ them, but she was desperate.

Lamia looked at Hilda and then returned to Aoi. "Where do you want us to take you?"

She suddenly blushed, unable to contain it any longer. Twiddling her fingers she said in a small voice; "Chinpira."

"Chinpira?" Takayuki blinked. "Isn't that the country bordering Rivaru state?"

"We'll have to pass through Rivaru to get to Reddo Teiru anyway," Lamia mulled it over and Hilda nodded. "Chinpira is a free state and allies with no one. It will be safe for us."

"Wait." Tatsumi suddenly spoke up gruffly and everyone turned their attention to him. He had been so quiet that his presence was almost forgotten.

"What's this shit about 'we' and 'us'?" He asked roughly. "I'm not coming along."

* * *

Hecatos dropped down from the tree and surveyed the area. There were signs of impact here and there. Due to the dry weather the earth remained untouched, undisturbed by nature.

Graphel pointed to a long mark that suggested something being dragged by force. "It is likely the nursemaid fell here."

Hecatos climbed up the hill slope and noted the road curving into the distance. "Where does this road go to?"

"St. Ishiyama to the south. The Touhoushinki states to the north." Graphel consulted the map he had brought along. "There are numerous villages here and there as well. For all we know, she can be anywhere."

"Well at least we've established one thing -" Hecatos chuckled; "She's alive. And that means the prince must be alive too. Whaddaya say – should we report back or try to hunt her down?"

Graphel walked back to the impact site and knelt down, picking up a strand of blonde hair that had become embedded in the earth. "We can try to trace her with this."

Hecatos grinned and held his hand out for the hair. "One rogue nursemaid coming right up."

* * *

**Preview**

"Hold the young master!" Hilda shouted and literally shoved Prince Belze into Tatsumi's arms. He squawked indignantly. "Hell no!"

"Shut up, I need to concentrate! Now try not the get killed!"

"I need both hands to keep from getting killed, you senile hag!" Tatsumi furiously adjusted the blanket's wrapping so that he could tie the baby to his back, muttering all the while. "Fighting with a baby on my back. Nobody will treat me seriously from now on. _Shit_."


	9. Confrontation

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: Here comes the new chappy. Sorry for the delay but I think this will be my output speed nowadays. Anyway thanks for reading, everyone! I don't have time to reply to reviews but I love you all, even the haters =) Enjoy!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 9**

~ Confrontation ~

* * *

"_Lady Kunieda!"_

_Aoi jerked back from the screen, a kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar. Oomori Nene stood with arms akimbo and expression dark as thunder. "What are you doing here?" The woman hissed as she strode towards Aoi. "You are supposed to be getting ready, not spying on our guests!"_

_Aoi tried to smile but all that came out was an apologetic grimace. "But they take so long, so I was restless – "_

"_No excuses!" If Nene could pinch her ear, Aoi had no doubt that she would. As it was the general firmly took Aoi by the shoulder and pulled her back towards her chambers. "Your Highness, this behavior is very unbecoming of your status as the princess of Reddo Teiru," Nene groused. "Foreign dignitaries expect you to be a woman of steel; fierce and intelligent."_

"_But I am fierce!" Aoi protested and Nene let go of her shoulder. "Only in battle," The general said icily. "At least Lady Ikaruga managed that much for you."_

_Aoi bit her lip and looked back longingly at the screen she had been hiding behind. Beyond that was the receiving hall packed with foreign representatives, here to pay their respects to her._

_Her._

_There was a twisting feeling in her gut at the thought. This event marked the first time she would be sitting on the throne as ruler of Reddo, Princess of Touhoushinki. Everything she had been preparing for was for this one role. This moment would define her for the rest of her life._

_And she was terrified._

* * *

Nene came to with a splitting headache and bad neck pain. Softly cursing the unholy, she noticed Chiaki lying next to her. The memory of the fight rushed back in a painful burst and she gasped. "Princess!"

She wasn't there. Nene frantically checked the other figures – Kaoru and Yuka, but no Aoi. Panic welled up in her chest and she looked around, trying to assess the situation.

They were lying in a glade that Nene was sure they had never passed. The carriage and horses were nowhere to be seen. Stamping down the pain, she made a sweep of the area and discovered they were just a little south of the village they had stopped in before they were attacked.

"Just what on earth was that?" She winced. A man. A single man – she was positive of that. He was even unarmed, yet he defeated them with such ease.

Nene silently cursed herself for being so careless. She had known they were going to a thieves' den yet had failed to take extra precaution to protect Aoi. And now…

"Chiaki!" Nene checked the diminutive girl and found no apparent injury on her person. Even her revolvers were intact.

Chiaki groaned in pain as she came to. "What… "

"Her Highness has been taken!" Nene hissed. "Wake up Yuka and Kaoru!"

"Taken?" Chiaki was instantly alert. Nene scowled. "Whatever in that village is dangerous. We need reinforcements. Let's retreat to St. Ishiyama and inform the Rokkisei."

* * *

Night had fallen in the small village of Ishi. After the hectic events of the day it was understandable that everyone turned in completely exhausted. Even Lamia, who usually went back to her hut no matter how late it was actually opted to stay behind. The Touhoushinki princess had taken over Hidetora's bedroom and the man himself was outside, sleeping under a tree. To guard the princess in case she tried to escape Alaindelon was stationed outside her door. Unlike normal people, he did not need to sleep, nor could he sleep even if he wanted to.

But Hilda on the other hand, _couldn't_ sleep.

She sat up in her bed and cast a glance at the sleeping infant next to her and then at Lamia, who slept on a futon on the floor. Through the window she could hear Hidetora's regular whale-like snores, strangely reassuring. Perhaps it was the effect of the sleeping draught Lamia administered to her two days ago, but she had been feeling insomniac as of late.

Usually she had something to do when she couldn't sleep; patrol the palace, practice in the fencing room or study in the library. But this bandit's hideout had nothing to distract her. And so she gathered a shawl about her person, cradled Prince Belze and slipped out into the night, intending to take a stroll.

Not quite wanting to head to the village proper, she took a new path, following the sound of running water. Pretty soon she came to a narrow river and carefully picked her way among the smooth river pebbles until she came to a large boulder that she intended to sit on.

Unfortunately her plan was spoiled. Sitting on the boulder was Oga Tatsumi, placidly fishing. Upon hearing her frustrated cluck he turned around and instantly frowned in annoyance. "…The heck?"

"That is my line, fool," She snapped and sighed. "Move aside. I wish to sit."

He twitched and his line trembled. "Lady, get your own rock."

She fumed at his indifference. Ever since they first laid eyes on each other he had been as stubborn as a donkey and for the life of her she didn't know why! The boar! "You are the most exasperating, infuriating, insensitive, _idiot_ I ever had the misfortune to meet!"

"You're no saint yourself!" He roared, forgetting his fishing in light of her accusations. "I saved your life but did you even thank me? I let you sleep in my bed, follow me eventhough I don't like it, beat me up, and now you want me to give up my fishing spot? That's taking things too far, bitch."

She gasped in outrage but bit her tongue, partly in guilt. It was true she had not been very gracious… BUT!

"I tell you, this is just too easy."

The two combatants froze at the sound of a smug voice. Hilda felt a quiver of unease as the nearby bushes rustled. Tatsumi straightened up, his fishing rod forgotten.

Hecatos and Graphel strolled out of the bushes, the former wearing a shit-eating grin on his face. Hilda instantly cursed internally. To think she had left Alaindelon inside the house!

"Who are you?" Tatsumi asked blankly. He gave them a once over, noting their military uniforms and strange tattoos.

"None of your business, shit." Hecatos raised a hand and Tatsumi was instantly blasted into the river with a roar. Hilda tensed, gripping Prince Belze. "Did Prince En order you to take me back?"

"In a nutshell, yeah," Hecatos shrugged and Graphel cleared his throat. "Hildegarde, you are hereby ordered to return to Makai to be tried for the kidnapping of Prince Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV and the murder of Dr. Folcass Rachmaninoff. Should you desist – "

"The murder of _what?_" Hilda gasped. "I did not kill Dr. Folcass! He was alive when I left him!"

"Should you desist, we shall be forced to subdue you with whatever means necessary," He finished simply. Hilda clenched her jaws. She could run. It was dark and they did not know the terrain. She could hide in a tree until they give up –

The river suddenly exploded, sending a shower of water over her head. A second later Tatsumi landed on the rock again looking extremely pissed. "Dude," He snarled; "If I wanted a frickin' bath I'd say so!" With that he lunged forward with a roar.

Hilda immediately screamed; "ALAINDELON!" at the same time Tatsumi's punch connected with Hecatos' face. Graphel had drawn his saber and Hilda sidestepped his strike. "You're pushing your luck, Graphel," She snarled. "I taught you the sword arts."

"And I will use them the way you taught me to," He answered; "In serving the kingdom."

An unexpected energy ball caught him in the stomach and threw him against a tree. Holding her left hand up and shaking the excess energy off it, Hilda tsk-ed. "You brats never learn."

"Miss Hildaaaa!" Alaindelon appeared and made a dive for Hilda, simultaneously shifting into his sword form. Hilda gratefully caught him and backed up against Tatsumi, who had sent Hecatos flying a good ten feet away. "Nice punch," She said tightly.

"That isn't an apology," He muttered and suddenly Hilda spun to face him. "Hold the Prince." She hissed, literally shoving the bundle into his arms. Tatsumi gave an indignant squawk. "The HELL?"

"Shut up! I need to concentrate!" She snapped. "Don't you dare die!"

"Well that's exactly what's going to happen if I can't use my fists!" He shot back as he modified Prince Belze's swaddling so that he could tie it on his back. "Great. I'm fighting with a baby on my back. Nobody will take me seriously from now on. _Shit._"

"You piece of trash!" Hecatos appeared with a roar, sword drawn. Tatsumi quickly drew him away while Hilda stood on guard, alert for Graphel's presence.

"I'd have to say… that was unexpected," Graphel rose, clutching his abdomen. "I've forgotten that you're competent in the magic arts as well as swordsmanship."

"These are desperate times," Her emerald eyes held no pity. "Retreat now or never go back. Those are your options."

* * *

**Preview**

Tatsumi stared at the woman lying on his bed. Something akin to anger and yet bitter, like sadness and guilt rose in his chest and forced him to clench his fists to keep himself from trembling. Turning heel, he strode out and met Hidetora leaning against the wall in the hallway. "So?"

The two brawlers stared at each other impassively and Tatsumi looked over his shoulder at his room.

"I'll kill that fuckin' Sally if it's the last thing I do," He growled.


	10. Hilda's Resolve

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: My apologies for the preview of the previous chapter, it was meant for chapter 11. So there will be no preview this time^^ Enjoy!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 10**

~ Hilda's Resolve ~

* * *

"If only," Graphel raised his sword, the moonlight glinting off the steel menacingly. "I never imagined we'd be crossing swords in this manner, Hilda."

With a grunt he exploded forward and Hilda sharply swung her sword at the perfect moment, parrying his blow with a shower of sparks. Simultaneously she blasted him with an energy ball but Graphel was prepared this time. Leaping back, he blocked it with his arms raised defensively. "That won't work twice!"

"… Whoever said I was using the same move twice?" A hint of a smirk crossed her face and he blinked before becoming aware of a shadow was blocking the moon behind him. With horror he realized she had done that to create an opening in his back so that Tatsumi could attack.

"This is for running my fishing!" The drenched, pissed-off thief snarled and viciously smashed Graphel's head into the ground with a satisfying crack. In some ways he was actually somewhat relieved that these two clowns showed up, because he really _was_ angry at Hilda. Nothing was quite as stress-busting as a relieving punching session.

"Where is Hecatos?" Hilda demanded, stepping over the passed-out Graphel.

"River," Tatsumi replied succinctly – but too soon. The soldier burst out of the water with an enraged cry. "Hecatos has a lot of pride," Hilda observed as both of them leapt back. "He must be spitting mad that he keeps getting thrashed."

"More importantly, I didn't know you can fight like that," Tatsumi looked at her with a troubled expression. "You could have kicked my ass to Makai with that kind of strength."

She gave him a small triumphant smile. "I am Prince Belze's nursemaid and guard."

"Yeah yeah," Tatsumi grumbled and made sure the baby was still securely strapped to his back, eyeing Hecatos. The soldier was just standing there, breathing hard.

Hilda had just a moment's warning before she was attacked from behind by a fire blast. She managed to block it – barely. With a pained wince she banished the flames away – and her face instantly twisted in anger when she saw what emerged beyond the smoke. "SALAMANDER!"

The trusted advisor to Prince En and currently the thorn in Hilda's side, Salamander stood there with a smirk on his face. And on his side…

"… Hilda?" Tatsumi blinked at the woman standing next to Salamander. But he quickly realized it wasn't – just a copy of the real thing who was standing nearby with fists clenched in rage.

"Hello Hilda," the other 'Hilda' smiled pleasantly. It was uncanny to see how similar they looked, though he could not imagine Hilda ever smiling so maliciously. "How unfortunate to see you're alive."

The pulsing black wave behind the duo caught her attention and she paled. "You… You've mastered teleportation, Yolda?" Hilda clutched her arm, trying to will the pain away. Inside panic was building. She had barely recovered and had jumped straight into a fight. Salamander and Yolda's presence was a big problem for both of them.

… Both of them?

She frowned slightly, feeling strange at the notion. But why should it? Two of them… Her and Prince Belze. Of course. Who else was she thinking of?

"Hecatos' use of the tracking spell has alerted us to your survival," Salamander smiled mysteriously. "And it seems you've gotten yourself a friend," His eyes drifted over to Tatsumi, who bristled. Both he and Hilda simultaneously bit out; "We're not friends!"

"Oho?" Yolda snickered behind a dainty gloved hand. "What an amusing sight – the great Hildegarde, pride of the royal guards is in cahoots with common riffraff. It makes me almost happy. Almost."

"Shut up." Hilda was clenching her sword so hard her knuckles were white. "You, who conspired to curse Prince Belze cannot even call yourself a royal guard."

"Don't think so highly of yourself Hilda," Yolda's eyes flashed in anger. "You're the one who's currently on the run for a heinous crime while _I_ am serving Makai's ruler. I'm not here to gloat – I'm just here to make sure Prince En stays the ruler!" With a whoosh of teleportation wind she summoned her staff and Salamander took a step back, still smiling slyly. "I won't interrupt this fight between sisters," He snapped his fingers and will-o-wisp flames manifested in the air, floating. "Let's bring her dead body back, Yolda."

Sisters, Tatsumi thought as Yolda launched herself at Hilda. The latter easily blocked the attacked and flung her back but Tatsumi noticed some awkwardness in her movements. Whence before she freely twisted to avoid attacks, now she blocked more. _She's injured._

In that moment of distraction he felt the touch of a cool blade against his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hecatos holding the blade. "You're mine, trash."

_Pride._

"Right." Tatsumi said simply, pushing the blade away with a fingertip even as he still envisioned Hilda fighting in his mind's eye. "You _so_ need to sleep, pal."

* * *

Lamia squeezed her eyes as an incessant puttering sound disturbed her sleep. Annoyed, she tried swatting the sound away but it just got louder. Fed up with it she sat up with a jolt, fully intending to throttle the offending creature.

Instead she found herself face-to-face with a Mu.

A Mu. In her sleep-addled mind she registered the wobbly fleshy body, the blank milky stare that so characterized the creature native to Makai. But she wasn't in Makai. Her mind struggled vainly to make sense of the situation… and failed. The sum of all her thoughts spilled out in a confused; "… EHHHH?"

"Hello Lamia," The Mu spoke with a distinct lisp. "How are yoush?"

"It speaks!" She shrieked but quickly got a hold of herself. _Calm down. Mus can't speak so this must be a dream. I must be sleeping still. Yes, I can hear Toujou snoring. And Miss Hilda – _

Isn't there.

"That shtubborn nursh ish engaged in battle wish shome Pillarsh." The Mu said simply. Lamia stared at it, wide eyed. "Pillars? They've tracked her here?" Lamia scrambled up, completely forgetting her earlier conviction that this was a dream and literally ran out only to run smack into Aoi, who looked like she was also running out. "… Princess?"

"I can feel anger. Fighting," Aoi gasped, a hand to her chest. "Someone is in danger. I need to help them."

Lamia hovered, treading water. With a frustrated growl she rushed inside the room and came out again with Aoi's sword which Tatsumi had confiscated. "You might need it. Let's go!"

Meanwhile Hilda was starting to feel the strain of battle on her body. Yolda noticed it as well and increased the ferocity of her attacks. "Come on! Don't tell me all those years of holding the Queen's skirt has slowed you down?" Yolda shouted maliciously. Hilda responded with an explosion of black energy that forced her sister to somersault back. Without missing a beat Hilda continued to channel the energy to Alaindelon, causing the sword to pulse with a menacing black air. "I have not rusted," Hilda said coldly; "But you on the other hand have become delusional. No matter, I will beat reality into you."

Salamander watched this with pleasure. He had not expected to have an easy time capturing Hilda, but the task of whittling her strength down was best left to someone with a grudge. Grudges, he knew, were amazing things. They could turn a pure-hearted maiden into a rotten core. Perhaps a grudge would be enough to topple the giant.

A prickle at the edge of his awareness caught his attention. A slow smile spread over his face as he softly sing-songed; "… Visitors…"

Tatsumi plummeled Hecatos but found that he was no longer interested in pounding the man down. He was more concerned with the black energy Hilda and Yolda were emitting.

"Don't look away from me, damnit," Hecatos spit out blood. "She doesn't need your concern, that damn wet nurse."

"Just die already," Tatsumi disinterestedly kicked him. He didn't like the look of Hilda's fight. Though they may look similar, Yolda looked like the type to play dirty.

"Hah!" Yolda triumphantly blasted Hilda away. "Pitiful," Yolda grinned, twirling her staff. "Well as a parting gift I'll show you the technique I mastered. Consider it an honor, dear sister."

Hilda's chest rose and fell with each labored breath. Without a doubt Yolda had the upper hand here, but she wasn't giving up. She had… to protect…

Within the blink of an eye Yolda vanished and Hilda tensed. Teleportation without an incantation?

"You're slow," Yolda's cold voice came from behind her and Hilda reflexively swung her sword but connected with thin air. Her blood ran cold. Where was Yolda?

"This technique allows me to use teleportation in battle," Yolda's voice came from seemingly everywhere. "You'll die without knowing how!"

The clash of metal on metal caused her to leap backwards, the scent of sakura blossoms filling the air. She saw the dark hair of the Touhoushinki princess as she defended Yolda's strike, the surprise on her sister's face at the unknown savior.

"Miss Hilda!" Lamia cried as she slid down a small hillock. "Oga!"

Hilda tottered and pitched forward only to be caught by Tatsumi. "Oi!" He groused. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"… The prince," She weakly clutched at his shoulder. "The prince, is he safe?"

"You insane woman," He let her see the sleeping baby. "Oi Lamia I need a hand here!"

Lamia took a step towards them but was repelled by a wall of flame that leapt out of nowhere.

"Now now, that just won't do," Salamander crossed the barrier, completely unaffected. "I need to bring the traitor and the prince back. Having her treated would waste everything we've done."

"You shithead," Tatsumi started forward but felt Hilda's restraining hand on his chest. "Go," She whispered softly so that Salamander couldn't hear. "I'll open a path for you. Take the prince away."

"Wha – "

He barely had time to react when he felt the black energy swirling under his feet and launched him off like a parabola over the fire barrier. "Alaindelon!" Hilda threw her sword following him and the shapeshifter turned into a large bird, zooming after Tatsumi. Salamander watched all of this with interest. "So you still had that much energy in you eh? You are indeed the better of the two sisters."

"Shut up," Hilda snapped. "Compliments from you make my skin crawl."

"Well what will you do now, Miss Royal Guard? You are unarmed, in my territory."

"…Hmph." Hilda took a deep breath, calming the energy flow around her. That brainless half-wit would protect the Prince, she knew. He was strong and he kept his word. That reassured her somewhat.

"You will only cart my dead body back to Makai, no less." She flicked her hand and a sword of pure black energy materialized in her grasp. Salamander's smile widened.

"That can be arranged."


	11. The Mu

Standard disclaimerapplies.

A/N: Time to answer some reviews…

**Illusion137**: Chinpira is the Okinawa rival school. Three guesses why Aoi wants to go there… and as to Toujou's state of dress sleeping under a tree… read on!

**Massu Chan**: Almost. He sleeps like a log really ^^

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 11**

~ The Mu ~

* * *

Saotome Zenjyuurou chugged down on his bottle of sake and stared over the roof overhang where he sat. The palace was quiet, serene, peaceful, whathaveyou.

… A little too peaceful, perhaps.

"All your fault," Zenjyuurou groused as he toasted to the moon, to his King. "If you're here there'd be dancing girls and singing. And I'd get to see Her Majesty whoop your ass for all that noise." He chuckled to himself at the memory but quickly sobered. The deal with the northern lands was dragging on too long. The people of Makai were getting restless with their ruler's absence despite Prince En's somewhat capable administration. Although Zenjyuurou had been making daily rounds around the city to placate the masses, the fact that news of Prince Belze's disappearance had leaked out was adding fire to the pan.

"Here you are!" Quetzalcotl landed neatly on the roof. "Pay up, I won our bet."

"What bet?"

Quetzalcotl grinned. "Hilda is alive; Hecatos found her with a tracking spell. Yolda and Salamander had just teleported to their location."

"Buzz off, we never made a bet," Zenjyuurou grumbled as he took another swig of alcohol. So the nursemaid really was alive. But why did both Yolda and Salamander have to personally fetch her?

"Oh you're right!" Quetzalcotl snapped his fingers. "We didn't bet on that – we betted on whether Hecatos and Graphel would come back alive, didn't we?"

Zenjyuurou twitched. "We. Didn't. Bet. ANYTHING."

* * *

"Mister Oga!" Alaindelon just barely managed to grab Tatsumi's shoulders, but that didn't stop him from crashing into the treetop, smashing through several branches before catching on a fairly thick one. He dangled from the branch with one free hand, breathing hard and feeling the sting of protecting his back from the fall. "That bitch, tossing people around like leaves!"

"Mister Oga, are you alright?" Alaindelon squawked from above him. Tatsumi was about to answer when an enraged roar shook the tree, forcing him to drop to the ground. He quickly moved into a defensive stance when a large figure landed in front of him, no doubt the bear that shook the tree.

"WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLEEP?" Hidetora rose to his full height, bellowing mightily. Tatsumi blinked at this disgruntled display. In some way it was rather anticlimactic. "… Oh, it's you, Toujou."

Hidetora noticed Tatsumi and visibly calmed down, scratching his head in puzzlement. "What, you wanna sleep outside too? Find your own tree man."

"Forget the tree, haven't you heard anything that's been going on?" Tatsumi jerked his thumb in the direction where he came from. "Shit's happening there are you're snoring here? Even that brat Lamia came over to help!"

"Pipe down, I'm still groggy," Hidetora picked his ear and stretched his arms above his head as he stared at the point in the distance, feeling the dangerous waves of energy pulse even from here. "What're we waiting for? Let's go."

"Before that…" Tatsumi clapped a hand on his shoulder and cast his glance downwards at his exposed manhood; "You should put on some pants before the girls thrash you."

* * *

"You dare disturb my fight?" Yolda attacked sharply but was deflected by Aoi's katana. The Touhoushinki princess gritted her teeth at the force of the blow – the woman had some strength! "You're a coward, attacking someone who's already tired. I'm just leveling the playing field."

"…Levelling?" Yolda's eyes narrowed dangerously as she stepped back and landed daintily on the ground. "What impudence. You have the nerve to put yourself on par with me, a Royal Guard? Hah!" She summoned black energy to the palm of her hand and hurtled it towards Aoi, who met it head on and forced it to dissipate. Upon seeing Yolda's stunned expression she allowed herself a smug smirk. "Yes I am," She raised her sword to strike. "En garde!"

Yolda's face twisted in anger and she charged forward. "I'll wipe the floor with you, wench!"

From inside the fire barrier, Hilda eyed Salamander warily. The royal advisor made no move; he remained standing there with that sickening smile on his face. "Y'know Hilda, I don't know why you murdered Dr. Folcass," Salamander said casually. "I thought he'd be your support in case things go bad."

"I did _not_ kill him," Hilda hissed. "For all I know, you could have done the deed and put the blame on me!"

"Ha. As if I could," Salamander sighed. "Not that I haven't tried, mind you. That man's cunning is on another level. But no matter; Prince En will be satisfied with your dead body." He raised his hands and the flame walls jumped even higher, burning intensely. Hilda could barely breathe in the scorching air and she was fighting to maintain her Black Sword.

With a sweep of his arms Salamander sent a jet of flame hurtling towards Hilda, who dodged it only to be struck by a coiling flame from behind. Gasping in agony, she fell to her knees but immediately got up, charging towards Salamander. The fire master manipulated more flames to repel her but Hilda was ready, vaulting over the defense to drive her sword into Salamander –

Who wasn't there.

"I told you, this is my territory," His slimy voice in her ear sent alarm bells ringing through her system. Before she could react however, burning shackles snapped over her ankles and wrists. "Guh!"

"I've watched you battle a hundred times," Salamander chuckled as she struggled against her bonds. "Your defense is good, your reflex is top-notch. However if you're agitated all of that goes down the drain. I suppose you accept that I have agitated you well?"

Hilda wanted to spit in his face so badly but settled for a glare. "You used Yolda as a diversion. Is that it?"

"Certainly you're the smarter sister," Salamander grinned. "But you were blind to her feelings. If there is a single fault with you Hilda, it's that you killed your emotions, rendering you numb to other people's hearts even when they tried to warm yours."

She barely paid any attention to his words but at his last sentence she clenched her fists. "Unhand me. Now."

"What idiot would comply with that?"

The flame wall suddenly shuddered violently and Hilda heard a scream. Yolda!

Aoi froze in her finishing move as she watched Yolda slam against the fire barrier. Although her outward appearance was calm, inside she was quivering with fear. This was the first time she had used her Hundred Sakura style outside of the practice range and the actual strength of the attack astonished even her.

Yolda dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Her mind whirled furiously. How dare she! How dare she! "Salamander!"

Salamander dropped the barrier, revealing him and the still-shackled Hilda. At that moment Tatsumi and Hidetora burst back through the trees, the latter thankfully in –

Lamia promptly colored and shrieked; "Toujou! What is that?"

"Huh?" Hidetora looked down to the towel he was wearing around his waist, the only thing keeping him from being branded a nudist. "Found this on the clothesline."

Salamander noticed Hilda looked livid. "Toujou," She said dangerously; "That is _my_ towel."

"You want it back?" Toujou asked blankly as his hand reached towards it, causing every single female (including Yolda) to frantically snap; "KEEP IT ON!"

Tatsumi saw the shackles on Hilda's limbs and his eyes narrowed. "…Oi."

"This is a little more than I anticipated," Salamander scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Yolda?"

The royal nursemaid cast a glance around the crowd and a growl escaped her throat. There were too many people to her liking, and if things got out of hand it could spell disaster for the country. "Let's go."

"Well then," Salamander tugged on the chains attached to Hilda's shackles. Before he could make a move however, Tatsumi had appeared and caught the chains. "You're not taking her."

_He's fast,_ Salamander thought with a jolt. "Grown attached to her, have we?" He teased and a vein twitched on both Tatsumi and Hilda's temple. Both simultaneously threw a vicious punch to Salamander's face, taking the man by surprise. As he staggered back from the double blow, Tatsumi shattered the shackles on her wrists and handed her the sleeping baby. "It'd be annoying if she's caught, dumbass," He spoke to the still-reeling Salamander. "Who'd look after the baby?"

Yolda swiftly opened a portal and pulled Salamander into it but not without a parting shot. "You haven't seen the last of us, Hilda."

"Spoken like a true villain," Lamia muttered as she watched the portal close. Simultaneously the tension left her shoulders and she quickly hurried to Hilda's side. The nursemaid made her stand down first however, more concerned with Prince Belze.

Hidetora walked up to Tatsumi and Hilda, who was examining the royal blanket in dismay. "It's all torn!" She glared accusingly at Tatsumi, who glared back. "That's what happens when you throw me into a tree, lady."

"Here," Hidetora handed her a cloth and Hilda took it gratefully before freezing in trepidation. The fluffy terrycloth towel in all its innocent white glory seemed just a tad sinister now. "… my towel?"

Tatsumi kept his gaze straight ahead, feeling the temperature drop a few degrees. Hilda was about to let loose her temper when the Touhoushinki princess stepped up hesitantly. Aoi hastily untied the shawl that she wore as part of her costume and handed it to him without looking. That did not prevent her face from reddening like a tomato, however. "P-Put this on, please…?"

"Thanks!" Hidetora happily accepted the shawl. Unbeknownst to Aoi, she had just saved Hidetora from being turned into strips of meat.

"What the hell happened here?" Takayuki, who had just returned demanded. Tatsumi raised his hand in greeting. "Yo. Where have you been?"

Takayuki took a look at the battered Tatsumi, the injured Hilda, Aoi with her sword unsheathed, and Hidetora with a woman's shawl around his waist and felt an impending headache. _This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever come home to. _"Nevermind that – we need to hide," Takayuki signaled to them furiously. "The Rokkisei are coming to retrieve the princess. Look at you lot!" He critically eyed Tatsumi and Hilda's injuries.

"The Rokkisei?" Aoi hurried her steps to match Takayuki's. "Were you from St. Ishiyama?"

"Damn right. I left at the same time as they did, but since I used the underground tunnel they should still be a few hours behind. Hurry!" He hissed to everyone.

They re-entered their house and Takayuki pulled aside the carpet in the living room. With a few clicks, stamps and fiddling a trapdoor opened, the lid lined with spellrunes. "A non-invasive space," Lamia read them carefully. "Pretty high-end stuff you got here Furuichi."

"Damn right they were. You'll thank me at the end of this, I promise," Takayuki helped everyone down the ladder in a cavern below. Lamia was about to enter when she caught sight of the Mu from earlier zipping across the floor and jumping right down into the trapdoor. "Wait!"

Aoi spotted the strange creature almost immediately and gasped in delight at its cute appearance. "What is that?"

"Sorry!" Lamia jumped down the last few rungs and caught the Mu. "It's a Mu, one of Makai's common creatures. I don't know how it got here – "

"Shilly thing," The Mu spoke, taking everyone by surprise – even Lamia. "So it wasn't a dream!"

"Move aside, fool," Hilda pushed at Tatsumi, who was in the way. Hilda leaned forward in her sitting position, staring hard at the creature. There was something so insanely familiar about that contemptuous tone... "What, did you bring it along with you when you fell from the sky?" Tatsumi asked and she glared at him. "As if I had time to grab anything from the Palace." She returned her attention to the wobbly, jelly-like creature. It returned her stare. Putting the lisp aside, she was almost sure… "Dr. Folcass, is that you?"


	12. The Rokkisei

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: Can't believe I'm in chapter 12 now, and there's still a lot to go *~* Do continue supporting me, everyone!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 12**

~ The Rokkisei ~

* * *

"Dr. Folcass, is that you?"

A stunned silence followed her tentative query. Lamia blinked in astonishment. Tatsumi looked on incredulously and he crouched down to stare at her. "Oi oi, you got burned in the head, Hilda?"

"I knew you would recognish me, Hilda," The Mu slid over to her and extended a jelly-like limb to tap her nose, an act that literally caused Tatsumi to fall over in surprise. "Mind you, it wash a big bother to transhfer my shoul into thish Mu. Not to menshon it can't shpeak right."

Both Lamia and Hilda stared in numb shock. _It really is him!_

"But… But…" Lamia stammered; "How did you… I mean…!"

"After newsh of Hilda'sh dishappearansh came to me, I knew I would be targeted," Dr. Folcass said simply. "I shaw a Mu wandering outshide my window and caught it. Itsh not like the firsht time I did a shoul transhfer," He wobbled impertinently. Lamia blinked. "So… what happened to your body?"

"I shtabbed it," Dr. Folcass waved a hand dismissively. "Not like itsh my real body anywaysh."

"You realize that people think _I_ killed you?" Hilda demanded and Dr. Folcass wobbled unconcernedly. "A drop of water in a large pail. Aren't you glad I'm here though, Hilda?"

Some of the stiffness in her posture softened and she contemplated this. Lamia was the one to speak. "Doctor," She tentatively raised her hand; "We're going to Reddo Teiru to find Lady Ikaruga. Do you think it is possible that she could Channel Prince Belze's power?"

"Lady Ikaruga?" Dr. Folcass' demeanour changed completely. One could almost imagine he was pale – if a blob of living breathing jelly could be paler than it is. "You're going to shee that monster woman?"

"She can't be all that bad," Lamia protested and Dr Folcass gave a little jump of impatience. "Bad? She givesh a whole new meaning to the word! But you are right, it ish a possibility. Ooh, Zen will be sho mad if she manages to Channel the prinshe," Dr. Folcass sudden chuckled. "Yesh, let'sh go to Reddo."

From his position on the floor Tatsumi sported a 'oh crud' expression. "Why do I feel like things are going to be so much worse?"

"Alright you have a ton of explaining to do," Takayuki had finished bolting the trapdoor lid in place. "I don't know how long we're gonna be down here so make yourselves comfy."

* * *

"Her soul signature disappeared," Sakaki Mitsuteru intoned as he sat in meditation. The large, empty Zen Room was completely devoid of noise and outside influence making it the ideal place to meditate – or just sleep. In Mitsuteru's case, he found it useful to track someone's soul signature over long distances, like Kunieda Aoi's.

Ever since Nene returned without her charge, the Rokkisei had been tracking Aoi's movements. Knowing the danger that lurked inside Ishi village made the six elite knights of St. Ishiyama somewhat wary – should they charge in, the life of their guest might be forfeited.

"Disappeared?" The captain of the Rokkisei, Izuma Kaname queried. "You mean she left the village?"

"No. The signature simply disappeared," Mitsuteru said as he got up from the floor. "Either she has entered a barrier I cannot penetrate or she has died."

"… The former is more likely than the latter," Kaname pondered thoughtfully. "It has been more than half a day since she was kidnapped and her kidnappers have not demanded a ransom. Whatever the reason they took the princess, it isn't money."

"Revenge?"

"On Princess Kunieda?" Kaname raised an eyebrow. "Highly unlikely, don't you think?"

A woman with wavy red hair dressed in the Rokkisei uniform entered the room and nodded at Izuma. "Miki, Shinjou and Gou are already on their way there. I've set up a watch perimeter around the village – if anyone tries to leave it we will know. In any case, we'll wait for their report."

"We should go too, Sakaki, Nanami," Kaname motioned to both of them. "Whoever took the Princess is not only bold but powerful. Arm yourselves." He pushed his spectacles higher up the bridge of his nose, temporarily hiding his eyes. "I have a feeling we're not going to be able to get the princess back easily."

* * *

Takayuki sat on the chair, arms crossed as he finished listening to the sequence of events he had missed. The thoughtful look never left his face, not even when Lamia slipped in the tidbit about Toujou's antics.

"So let me get this straight," He frowned as he raised a fist and extended a digit; "One, Hilda's got people wanting her dead."

He lifted another finger; "Two, the princess has people wanting her back."

He then looked at the Mu who was tending to Tatsumi's injuries; "Three, we got a guy who is inside a Mu who is supposedly dead. Did I miss anything?"

"You pretty much got everything."

He twitched. "This is a shipload of shit. I've seen manhunts but _man_ you guys are gonna be in for it."

"We mush quickly go shee Lady Ikaruga," Dr. Folcass said as he returned. "The shooner the Prinshe wakshe up the better."

"… The Rokkisei would have set up guards around the outskirts of the village right now," Takayuki rubbed his chin, thinking hard. "You were lucky your fight did not attract attention."

Alaindelon chose that moment to speak up. "Sirs, if I may… if it is simply teleporting out of the village, I may be able to help."

"Teleport?" Takayuki blinked and Lamia gasped; "You know how to do it, Alaindelon?"

The shapeshifter puffed up a little. "There is a teleportation technique used by my forefathers for individual use, but I believe I can adapt it for more people. Of course, with teleportation being taboo we have never disclosed this… and it is very short-range, unlike Miss Yolda's technique."

"Wait," Takayuki rummaged around some of the boxes lying around and took out a scroll. Unrolling it revealed a map. "This is Ishi, and this is St. Ishiyama," He pointed to two spots on the map. "Our first destination is Chinpira, up northeast. It's a few days ride at least – if we can get horses." He pointed to the river they had fought by and traced it upstream. "I don't know where the St. Ishiyama guards are, but I think you can try around here."

"I'll go with him," Lamia said worriedly. "It should be safe – I'm not on any wanted lists."

"Is Hilda up to it though?" He glanced at the curtain separating this space from the adjoining room; "She looked pretty bad."

"She'sh fine," Dr. Folcass waved a limb dismissively. "The medishine Lamia gave her will reshtore her shtrength, and Ogre ish watching her."

"Og… his name is Oga, not ogre!" Takayuki chuckled.

Said ogre was sitting by the cot in the next room, absently flexing his bandaged fist. It wasn't that he liked being in the same room as her, but at least she was quiet, and he so needed some peace at the moment. Being cooped up underground was bad enough without the echoes.

He stole a glance at Hilda, who was sitting up staring at the sole source of light in the room – the candle. Her injuries were numerous, to say the least but that creature-doctor had treated her and proclaimed her fine.

She was not fine, not at the rate things were going. "Oi."

She blinked slowly and then looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He scowled. "You should be sleeping, dumbass."

Hilda scornfully exhaled, feeling the pain in her ribs even with that simple act. "Remove yourself from this room if you have nothing to do, Oga Tatsumi."

"I'll sit here if I want to, so there," He knew what he said was childish but at the moment he just didn't care. "Y'know I've seen shit for brains before – fought quite a few. But you? You're just plain crazy. You can barely stand against Salamander and you still wanna kick his ass?"

"Shit for – "She blanched and grimaced. "Honestly, your choice of words leave much to be desired, fool."

"… someone like you will never understand," She scoffed softly, returning her attention back to the candle. "To give your life to protect someone, to honor duty and responsibility above your own self. I swore my life to protect Prince Belze… and I have failed," her fists on the blanket clenched. "Salamander's sleeping curse cannot be dispelled so easily, but it was my fault for being negligent to let him cast it in the first place. Had I been on guard that night…" There was terrible anguish in her eyes and suddenly to Tatsumi she looked extremely frail and fragile. The weak candlelight cast shadows where they shouldn't be; made her thinner, paler, _sick_.

It wasn't right, he thought suddenly. This woman who unflinchingly fought her own people, who faced her own sister without wavering, this woman who dropped into his life was not weak, not sick. She had no right to be.

On impulse he suddenly blew in the direction of the candle and extinguished it, making for the door in the same breath. In the darkness he could feel her furious gaze on his back. "Get some sleep, damnit," He growled as he paused at the doorway curtain. "Kind of shitty for a royal guard to be saved by a bandit all the time, ain't it?"

"Disappear!" She snapped and he complied, pulling the curtain close behind him. Outside Hidetora (now fully dressed and sporting some scratches on his face courtesy of Lamia) leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "They've got a plan to smuggle us outta here," He said, nodding his head in Takayuki's direction. "How's the lady?"

Tatsumi said nothing for a long time, staring at his bandaged hands. Hands that had more than once come to her aid whether he liked it or not. Did he like helping her? Hell no. She didn't even like to be in the same room as him, and the feeling was mutual. So why? Why the unbearable pain in his chest?

_She has something you don't and you wish you had._

Pushing the voice in his head away, he made for the main room of the cavern. He had no idea why things were happening, but he knew one thing;

"I'm going with them to Reddo Teiru," He growled to Hidetora. "I'm gonna kill that fuckin' Sally."

Hidetora stared at Tatsumi's squared back as his friend disappeared into the next room for a moment before sighing with a resigned grin and scratched his head. "Guess I should come along too huh?"

"Toujou."

He blinked and noticed Kunieda Aoi standing a little way apart, her expression grave. "We need to talk."

He blinked and looked heavenwards. "Four words you never want to hear from a girl."

* * *

Zenjyuurou knew the very instant Yolda and Salamander returned. He sat on the roof, masking his presence and saw them step out of the teleportation circle in the small courtyard. His eyes immediately zeroed in on their injuries and he casually took a swig from his sake jug.

"Interesting," He said to himself. "Maybe I should go and talk to this tough-as-nails nurse myself."

"Hecatos and Graphel are not with them," Quetzacotl was crouched next to him, his presence also hidden. "D'you think they're dead?"

"Hell if I care."

"But I care!" The jester pouted. "I bet they'd come back alive, remember?"

"Maybe they're alive but with both legs broken or something. In any case it wasn't a bet."

"You're no fun. Well, if they're dead the retrieval team will be sent to get them," Quetzacotl got up and dusted himself. "And that means _my_ team."

Zenjyuurou pondered this for a minute. His curiosity finally got the better of him and he too stood. "I'm coming along."

Quetzalcotl stared at him before suddenly laughing behind his hand. "Oh my, the King's Chaneller personally escorting my team," Quetzalcotl giggled girlishly. "People will talk!"

"Shut up, you fruitcake!"


	13. Tatsumi's Pandora Box

Standard disclaimer applies.

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 13**

~ Tatsumi's Pandora Box~

* * *

Of all the villages scattered about the city of St. Ishiyama, the most well-known had to be the village of Ishi. The village was notorious for being the hideout of bandits and various miscreants, but in reality it was just a normal village. Farmers went about their land, plowing or sowing. Cow herders tended to their flock. Tradesmen of all skills plied their skills in the marketplace. To someone who had never heard of Ishi's reputation, they will never imagine it could be anything more than a simply idyllic collection of cottages. And in fact if it wasn't for Tatsumi and Hidetora, that was indeed Ishi.

It was in this village over fifteen years ago that the boy with the unruly hair and sharp eyes appeared. A farmer named Calo found him sleeping in the manger in his cowshed and decided to keep him. The boy said his name was Tatsumi from the Oga family, and thanks to his fierce nature and natural fighting prowess he soon became known as Oga the Ogre. He refused to reveal his background and over time, nobody cared.

From the onset Tatsumi was a trouble magnet. Although he was passive by nature, he would retaliate when pushed – and he was pushed. A lot. Despite all that Tatsumi never turned to a life of crime, content with living off the land with his adopted parents.

That changed, however, when the St. Ishiyama lord who owned the land Calo worked on came to collect his rent. The bad harvest meant that Calo could not pay it, and in anger the lord burned both husband and wife in the field they worked on. Tatsumi, who had gone to the river to fish returned to find his parents nothing but ashes. Enraged, he sought out the lord, dragged him to Ishi and killed him by suffocating the man in manure in the cowshed he was first found in. The brutality of his retaliation struck fear into the hearts of villagers who until then only viewed him as a docile, amiable lad with monsterous strength. Thus began his life as a wanted man, but Tatsumi never ran. He remained in Ishi, daring any fool from St. Ishiyama to capture him. News of his notoriety spread and other criminals came to seek refuge in Ishi. Tatsumi tolerated it so long as they remained docile and did not harm the villagers - though the same did not apply to him.

That was partly the reason why the villagers of Ishi left him alone. The other reason was that ever since that incident, no lord dared to claim the lands around the village, allowing the villagers to farm in peace. In some ways, he had become both the village terror and protector. Not that he cared; Tatsumi continued his life relatively undisturbed, eventually meeting Takayuki and Hidetora and forming the bandit trio.

He could never guess that _that_ life would soon come to an end too.

* * *

In the early hours of morning Alaindelon, in the guise of a pink-haired peasant woman in a face veil sauntered past the St. Ishiyama guards on the footpath with Lamia following close behind. "We look like sisters," Lamia muttered. "Why did you have to choose that form, Alaindelon?"

"My apologies Miss Lamia, I was in a rush," Alaindelon said with an apologetic smile – or at least she thought it was a smile. Alaindelon maybe a shapeshifter but his transformations tend to leave a certain trademark; he would still have markings around his mouth like a moustache - hence the veil. "I do not usually morph into the opposite sex, and you were a convenient model."

"And yet you turn into animals and let Hilda swing you around as a sword." Lamia glanced over her shoulder. The watch was out of sight now, but still too near to her liking. The morning fog gave them some cover but it would only help so much. "Do you think we can do this?"

"We must," The shapeshifter continued walking unperturbed, her rough shoes crunching on the pebbled footpath. "Finding the Channeler for Prince Belze is of utmost importance. Miss Hilda is willing to put her life on the line. Dr. Folcass literally killed himself to come to our aid. Those thieves, despite their reluctance have shown great courage and camaraderie. How could I be any less?"

"Ah yeah," Lamia smiled at the thought of the men. "Y'know I've known them for years but this is the first time I've seen Oga volunteering for anything. He usually needs a huge push to even do the house chores." She winced at the memory of coming to the house to find it more like a pigsty.

"Perhaps he is growing up," Alaindelon said absently as they reached a small clearing. Stopping in the center, Alaindelon reverted back to his normal form and put his hands on his hips. "Ho-hum. This looks like a good place. What do you think, Miss Lamia?"

"Good enough," She set her bag on the ground and took out a tracer staff. She began drawing a spellcircle on the grass; strange runes and symbols designed to amplify the spell Alaindelon would cast. In truth it had been quite a while since she used the knowledge she acquired in Makai all those years ago. The dark arts practiced by Makai mages was relatively unknown by magicians elsewhere. For someone who wanted to lie low, it wasn't practical to display her knowledge in the dark arts. "Alright, I'm done."

Alaindelon stood in the middle of the portal and activated the runes, watching them glow darkly. She could feel him flexing his soul wavelength, testing the stability of the circle. She sat at the circumference, acting as a regulator.

"Connecting the portals."

In the hideout, an identical spellcircle had been drawn in the middle of the main room. Upon seeing the circle glow Dr. Folcass motioned for them to step into it. "Whatever you do, try not to throw up," He warned. "Alaindelon's technique literally ushes hish own body ash a portal to transhport ush. If you throw up, he'sh not going to be very happy."

Takayuki winced. He didn't – couldn't – imagine how someone could use their own bodies… but then again he did not know anything about magic other than how much it cost to hire a mage.

Surprisingly it was Hidetora who stepped forward first. "Anything but flying stuff," He said matter-of-factly. "As long as my feet are on the ground, I'd –whoa!" In a flash he was swallowed by darkness and Tatsumi gulped as the large figure of Toujou Hidetora vanished. "Dude I'm not even sure if that's safe." He eyed the spellcircle apprehensively. Surely he could find another way to leave the village unseen?

"Silence, coward," Hilda stepped into the circle, cradling the prince. "Sit here and die like a dog if you want." Her cold, matter-of-fact challenge did not slip by Tatsumi.

"What did you say?" He approached her to glare nose-to-nose with the blonde nursemaid. Their glaring match was so intense that sparks literally jumped between them. "That mouth of yours – "

Too late, he realized he had been tricked when he saw her smirk. "My mouth, what, fool?"

"Aw f – "

FLASH!

Lamia concentrated on stabilizing the circle's power output, but that didn't mean she couldn't raise an eyebrow when she saw Hilda and Tatsumi materialize with their faces pushed up against each other's. "Really," Lamia said wryly. "Can't you do it elsewhere?"

Both spluttered something unholy and spun heel, stalking off to different directions.

Aoi and Takayuki were the last to materialize, following which Alaindelon ended the transfer and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Well, that was successful."

Lamia grinned as she stood up and with a swipe of her staff she destroyed the spellcircle. Staring disinterestedly at the tracer staff, she destroyed that as well.

"Where are we?" Aoi looked around. Takayuki consulted his map and compass, correlating the directions. "We should head that way," He pointed to the mountains. "If we're lucky, we'll make it by midday."

"There is no such thing as luck," Hilda said crisply. "It is simply a question of how fast we can travel."

"Why the mountains?" Asked Aoi. "Why can't we follow the plains?"

"We need to keep low," Hidetora explained. "Even if we're pursued in the mountains, it will be pretty hard for them to catch us since we know the terrain better."

"Yup," Takayuki hoisted the rucksack on his back and put his hands on his hips. "Before I made the cavern under the house, we used to go to hide in the mountains if things got too hot."

"Hold on," Aoi stopped, feeling her nape prickle. Her finely tuned senses could detect a shift in the soul signatures around her, and this one was not merely a shift; "Something's coming!"

Hilda narrowed her eyes as she felt it too. Five… no… six? Strong soul signatures. She cast a glance at the group and mentally winced. The odds were not very favourable.

Alaindelon started to morph, but she stopped him. "You are not needed for now, Alaindelon. Stay with the Touhoushinki princess."

"M-Miss Hilda – " He stammered, surprised; "You need a weapon!"

"Are you disobeying me?" Her chilly glare was on at full force. Seeing as she wasn't in the mood for arguments he clamped his mouth shut and instead morphed into bird, flying off. Tatsumi stared at her. "That was a bit harsh."

"He has just performed a large transfer," She did not bother to look at him as she started to do what he did yesterday – place the prince on her back. "Using him as a weapon right now will put his life on the line, and I cannot risk that."

"Aah? And you're going to fight with your fists, is that it?"

"How uncouth," She flexed her hands and with a flick of her wrist materialized her Black Sword. Tatsumi watched the black energy solidify into a shiny blade, its hilt curled much like a parasol handle. "Now look sharp, Oga Tatsumi. Our pursuers are not as stupid as Hecatos and Graphel."

Tatsumi rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Nothing's gone well ever since you fell from the sky, Hilda."

"Likewise," She returned, slicing the air. "But they certainly aren't dull."

"... Likewise," He felt himself grin as he turned to face their pursuers.


	14. Breaking Convention

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: 14th chapter is here! As a break for the upcoming fight, I sprinkle a little character development. Enjoy!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 14**

~ Breaking Convention ~

* * *

"Izabella?"

The royal guard respectfully entered the dimmed chambers of Prince En. The boy was sitting up in bed, still laced with sleep. "… Where's Yolda?"

"She is resting, milord," Izabella bowed. "Her battle with Hilda has injured her rather badly. I am afraid she will not be able to attend to you for awhile."

"Injured? Didn't Salamander go with her?"

"Salamander is also injured, Your Highness."

Even from where she stood she could feel the wrath emanating from Prince En. Without Zenjyuurou's presence to regulate his energy, Prince En's temper tantrums could sometimes get out of control. For the umpteenth time she wondered why the Royal Channeler decided to go along with Quetzacotl's squad to retrieve Hecatos and Graphel. "Your Highness, would you like some caramel pudding?" The ever-resourceful attendee quickly suggested. "I have just made some, and they're best eaten fresh."

… It worked like a charm. Prince En's wrath was instantly appeased, his green eyes wide with delight. "Caramel pudding? With whipped cream?"

"I will call for some, your highness. Please be patient," Izabella smiled as she retreated and snapped her fingers. Immediately Sachura appeared next to her. "Yeah?"

"The master wants caramel pudding." She closed the door shut behind her and walked a few paces away, beckoning for the other girl to follow her. "How's Yolda?"

"Bad." Sachura hooked her arms behind her head, looking slightly miffed. "She got hit by a chick using some fancy swordsmanship. Seems like her energy distribution's all haywire right now."

"Hmm. Who is tending to her?"

Sachura idly leaned against the wall. "Angelica. But she's no Dr. Folcass and his death is still traumatizing her. I don't think Yolda can fight for awhile."

Izabella stared at the door to Prince En's chambers thoughtfully. "As long as Hilda is similarly handicapped then it will not be a problem. Her new allies however seem to be quite a handful."

"Oh yeah." The tomboyish royal guard giggled conspiratorially; "Salamander especially reports on a black-haired youth who Hilda seemed to be close to – she even let him carry the little prince on his back!"

"On his back? Hilda did?" Izabella looked amazed. "Hilda, who has not separated with the Prince since the day he was born, Hilda who never let even _us_ hold the Prince allowed some filthy commoner boy to carry him?"

"I know right?" Sachura giggled. "It's sooo out of character for her."

"Huh… who would have guessed?" Izabella's smile broadened a little. "This might actually be advantageous to us."

* * *

The fighting never seemed to end.

Takayuki was a coiled spring. Every fibre of his being was tense, waiting for the inevitable. His hope of making it to Chinpira without bloodshed was apparently just wishful thinking.

_But it doesn't have to be our blood_, he thought as he surveyed the terrain. They were fighting on familiar ground. He didn't know how much advantage that would give Tatsumi and the other fighters, but it was enough. Already his mind was mapping out the battle and he sneaked a glance at Tatsumi.

While the brawler certainly looked like he had a rock for a brain, Takayuki was friends with him long enough to know that there was much more to Tatsumi than meets the eye. Despite his deceptively slender build Tatsumi hid a strength that matched even Hidetora, who was almost twice his size. The man knew not of techniques - he was an inborn pugilist who instinctively knew how to maximize impact with minimal effort. Blow the enemies away. Smash them to pieces. But he also possessed heightened awareness and the ability to remain deadly calm even in the heat of battle. He was, Takayuki decided; a calculative fighter. And he would have expected to use the terrain to get the drop on his enemies.

Now all Takayuki needed to do was support from afar, like he always did.

Aoi unsheathed her katana and waited apprehensively, recognizing the soul signatures of their enemies. She should have known it wouldn't be easy to escape, not when their pursuers were the Rokkisei. The Six Holy Knights, protectors of St. Ishiyama.

She remembered meeting them for the first time, back when she was newly-crowned as Queen of Reddo. There was something so _regal_ about them – and _she_ was supposed to be royalty! Their leader, Izuma Kaname had been gracious to a fault, but she could feel the underlying strength even under his silky words. The message was clear; The Rokkisei did not come to Reddo to pay their respects – they had come to reaffirm that Reddo respected _them_.

A hand on her shoulder forced her to focus back to the present. Hidetora was standing next to her, wearing a look of grave concern. "Princess, I think we'd better separate," He gently but firmly guided her away from the group. When he saw she was about to protest he shook his head. "Don't worry, Oga won't lose to anyone." He pondered and added; "Except me."

Aoi cast a glance over her shoulder at Tatsumi, who was doing stretches and Hilda, experimentally swinging her Black Sword. The two looked at ease, but their posture belied a readiness for battle.

"_Running away from a death sentence?" Aoi stared at Lamia, who nodded as she cast a glance at the room beyond the curtain where Hilda was resting. "I don't understand… how can they do that to their own prince?"_

"_Politics…" Lamia shrugged. "All I know is she's been wronged and needs help. She's prioritizing the prince's awakening over everything else so…"_

"_We're helping her stay alive?" Aoi guessed._

"_I like her," Lamia grinned. "She's honest, strong… kind of like what I wish I can be, y'know? And with Dr. Folcass here I'm sure things will be easier."_

"… _And Oga?" Aoi dropped her voice a notch. "Why is he helping her?"_

"_Ah, Oga," Lamia scratched her cheek, feeling awkward. "No idea why both he and Toujou are in it… but I guess they just like fighting strong enemies? Still it's nice to see him so motivated," Lamia smiled. "When I first met him, he was just this sullen teenager who didn't care about anything. Furuichi was probably the first person he opened to after his parents' death."_

"_That silver-haired man?"_

"_He always has an ear to the ground, that Furuichi," Lamia chuckled. "Can't say he's been good influence over Oga, but at least he's calmer, more…happy?"_

"_When did Toujou start living here?" Aoi fidgeted and Lamia shot her a strange look, noting how the princess seemed to blush a lot when it came to one particular man. "You're kind of curious about him, aren't you? Do you have a thing for Toujou?"_

_Aoi turned red as a tomato but was saved when Takayuki let loose a string of curses. "Don't mess up my notes, damnit!"_

_The object of his anger was Dr. Folcass, whose slightly wet appendages had left stains on Takayuki's notes. "Shorry~" The Mu wobbled, but Lamia could have sworn it was intentional._

_Aoi had sneaked away and spotted Tatsumi leaving Hilda's room and her heart fluttered. It was not difficult to imagine that he had gone through difficult times – but it was strange to think that he willingly put himself in even more trouble now – and it isn't even his trouble to begin with!_

"_Toujou," she spoke up when Tatsumi was safely out of hearing range; "We need to talk."_

"… _Four words you never want to hear from a girl," The brawler raised his eyes heavenwards but humored her. "Whaddaya want to talk about?"_

"…_It's not going to be an easy journey," She stated and he shrugged. "Nothing's ever easy, princess. You know that. I know that. So does that woman," He nodded to the curtain separating them from Hilda. "And so does Oga. Worrying doesn't make it any easier."_

"_But can we do it?"_

Can we really break free of the chains binding us?

"Leave it to Oga," Hidetora seemed to answer her thoughts. "That monster woman can hold her weight too, she can help him. Come on, we need to split."

She cast them a lingering glance before letting Hidetora pull her away.

* * *

"Lamia," Dr. Folcass looked up at his once-upon-a-time student; "Are you armed?"

She grinned as she lifted some spheres the size of marbles between her fingers. "Do you remember these, doctor?" She opened her bag to show more of said marbles. "Combination bombs. Harmless on their own, but smash them together and they'll bite through a mountain."

"Ohoho. Did I not help yoo develop them? But they did not sheem very shtrong."

"Improved formula," Lamia grinned as she clinked the marbles together.

If a Mu could smile, she was sure it would be sporting a face-splitting grin right about now. "Good."

Their countenance quickly sobered as the Rokkisei approached. Battle was imminent. Escape was futile.

_Like hell,_ Tatsumi, Hilda and Lamia thought simultaneously as they raised their weapons; _Bring it on!_


	15. The Past Will Come To Bite You

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: I like to call this the dunndunnDUNN chapter. Also I noticed several typos in the previous chapters, so I guess I'll have to repair them... when I have the time T.T Honestly I'm more interested in finishing this fic than going over the published chapters (yes I'm soo lazy). Well onwards-ho!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 15**

~ The Past Will Come To Bite You ~

* * *

"_Dr. Folcass?"_

_The bespectacled Royal Physician looked up from his notes. Standing opposite his desk was his favourite (and arguably the only) student he had. "Yes, Lamia?"_

_She shifted from one foot to another and kept her gaze on the ground. "I was thinking that lately... you haven't been teaching me anything new. Is there something wrong?"_

"_Hm." Dr. Folcass arranged his notes and tidied them up, deliberately making Lamia even more nervous. "As a matter of fact, there is something that is stopping you from learning anything more."_

"_There is?" Lamia automatically took a step forward and would have grabbed the edge of the desk if she didn't check herself. "I... what is it, Doctor?"_

_He couldn't help but grin. For the past six years his apprentice had been an endless source of amusement for him, but... "You see... I have nothing more I can teach you. Not in the field of medicine, black arts or chemistry. You have mastered them all."_

_She reddened as she drew back. "Oh... I thought..."_

"_You thought I was witholding knowledge?" Dr. Folcass chuckled as he toyed with the slender gold chain of his glasses. "Lamia, Lamia. Your mother was equally suspicious of me too, back when she was alive."_

_Lamia kept her silence. Her mother, Laymia was a distinguished general of the imperial army. Not long before Lamia's eighth birthday Laymia followed the king on a campaign in the west and was slain in battle. Since Laymia never disclosed who her father was, Lamia would have had to leave the palace if Dr. Folcass had not expressed his interest in making her his apprentice. His__ decision had shocked quite a few courtiers. Never in his years of service had he agreed to take on an apprentice, not even for a day. People simply believed he would go on serving the royal family, decade after decade._

_But his decision was the right one, he thought as he watched the play of expressions on Lamia's face. Lamia was highly intelligent and receptive to the study of healing and magic arts. She had a mind for improvisation, sometimes finding solutions even he would never think of. _

_It was however, not his intention to have her follow his fate. _

"_Well now... this is a problem," He leaned back and watched her. "Since you have finished your training, what am I to do with you?"_

_Lamia looked at him like it was a question not worth asking. _"_What do you mean, doctor?" Lamia blinked. "I'll serve here as a doctor as well. Isn't that the best option?"_

"_That won't do. There is no need for two physicians in the royal palace."_

"_... Are you saying I must leave?" Her voice was but a dreaded whisper but Dr. Folcass kept up his cool facade. "Lamia... eventhough you have learned everything I can teach you, there is still a lot to be discovered in the world outside. In Makai, beyond its borders is a wealth of secrets waiting to be unlocked. I cannot leave these walls..." He gestured helplessly; "But you can."_

_He noticed Lamia's helpless look and sighed. "Do not for once think I am pushing you away. In fact, I'd rather not give you this option at all... but your growth is important to me. You can still be better, Lamia. But not here, not in the Palace. Go forth, seek new challenges. One day you can return, but only after exhausting every bit of knowledge the world has to offer."_

_"... Will you still be here, Dr. Folcass?" Her voice was filled with hope, and he allowed himself a smile. A real, genuine, comforting smile._

_"Yes, I will be here."_

* * *

"You should be following the princess, y'know," Tatsumi grumbled to Hilda. "You're still injured."

The royal guard simply glared at him. "Eliminate all obstacles before they become a hindrance."

"… Scary," he sighed and stood up just as four figures garbed in pure white landed in the clearing with a rush of wind and dust. Lamia tensed. "I sensed six," She hissed, panic welling up. The four that had landed in front of them appeared to be lead by a man in glasses. Behind him was a red-haired woman, a blonde with wavy hair and a short, boyish youth with three scars on his cheek. "Four," Lamia struggled to fight the impulse to back away and find the other two.

Hidetora and Aoi sped through the undergrowth but Hidetora knew it was futile – he could feel their pursuers closing in on them. "No use now," He broke through to a clearing by a short cliff and yanked Aoi to a stop. "Two."

"It's Sakaki and Gou," Aoi whispered as she bound up the sleeves of her robes to allow for better movement. "I will take Sakaki."

"You got guts," He grinned. "Alright!"

Sakaki Mitsuteru and Gou Hiromichi had other ideas however. The trees exploded in a shower of leaves as both Rokkisei dove straight for Hidetora – but the man was more than ready. With a fist so fast that neither saw it coming, he punched both Rokkisei in the gut, throwing them back. Simultaneously Aoi vaulted over his shoulder and swung her sword sharply down to split Mitsuteru in half – only to be blocked. "Your Highness!" The swordsman gasped in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Stand down, Sakaki," She commanded. "Return to St. Ishiyama and don't pursue us anymore. I am going with these people!"

"What!" Mitsuteru choked in disbelief.

The four Rokkisei in a face-off with Tatsumi's side frowned as Takayuki explained their situation.

"You don't expect us believe that," Kaname frowned at Takayuki, who sighed. "I'm telling you, she requested us to accompany her. We've been offered a handsome reward for it." Well that part was a blatant lie, but he had conveniently left out Hilda's part in the story. No need to tell the Rokkisei any more than necessary.

"Knaves. You've bewitched her." Nanami Haruka narrowed her eyes. "I know you," She looked at Tatsumi; "You are Oga Tatsumi, wanted for multiple offenses of robbery and the murder of an esteemed lord of the land."

The man simply picked his ear with a blank look. "And?"

"Forget it, Nanami," Kaname tapped her shoulder. "These people are vanguards beyond redemption. Since the princess isn't here, we should go ahead and defeat them."

"…Fools," Hilda looked at each one in turn, gauging their power. "You do not know what you are doing. There are things beyond your little world that you cannot understand." Despite her bravado she had not recovered fully – her physical strength was perhaps only a fraction of her best and all her magic went into maintaining her Black Sword. One wrong move and she might die a horrible death.

A smallish youth stepped out from Kaname's side, cracking his fists. "Captain, let me take on Oga," he requested gravely. "I wish to fight him alone."

Haruka looked sharply at him. "Don't be foolish, Miki. He isn't someone you can take head-on."

"I can," Miki Hisaya's eyes never left Tatsumi. "Please allow me this. I promise you I won't fail to kill him."

"But – "

"Alright," Kaname said smoothly as he turned to the others. "I am not fond of fighting women but…" He studied Hilda's stance thoughtfully; "I believe I must make an exception today."

"Miss Hilda," Lamia's eyes darted around. "We will assist you."

"Thank you, but you have your own opponent to deal with - " She gave the medic a small smile but instantly jerked back when a leg flashed too close to her head. Haruka landed from her kick, hands raised to attack. "You've got good reflexes," She complimented and Hilda felt the phantom sensation of the tip of a foot grazing her forehead. "I do not receive compliments from women."

Elsewhere two titans were roaring as they charged at each other, each trying to outpunch and outkick their opponent. But from the get go it appeared both Hiromichi and Hidetora were evenly matched. Sakaki did not bother to look – for one simple reason – he was blind. But his swordsmanship was no less accurate because of it, and most would consider his handicap as an advantage as he was not easily distracted by visual annoyances.

"Please Sakaki, turn back," Aoi pleaded as they clashed, steel on steel. "I will be safe with these people so tell Nene that."

"You… did you engineer the kidnapping yourself, princess?" Mitsuteru demanded as he backflipped to dodge her sword. She gasped and backed down a step. "I did not. But they… they are good people. I believe that."

"I cannot accept it. You have been bewitched. That is the only explanation."

Her heart sank at Mitsuteru's stubbornness. "Why won't you listen to me?" She half-whispered. "Brother?"

Mitsuteru flinched at that. "I have told you that we are not siblings. I am not worthy of being your family."

The frustration in her heart could not be contained any longer. "If you put me on a pedestal," She felt her voice quaver with anger; "If you keep bowing to me, saying 'princess' this and 'princess' that, why won't you let me make my own decisions? I AM the ruler of Reddo Teiru!" With her sword raised parallel to the ground, she charged with a cry.

Just a few feet away Hidetora finally succeeded in getting a foot in between them and with a roar shoved Hiromichi back. Almost immediately he dove for the falling Rokkisei, smashing the man's chest with an elbow drop. But Hiromichi wasn't going to be done in so simply. He virtually lifted Hidetora and threw him off.

Aoi ducked, narrowly being hit by her companion sent flying - simultaneously rolling away from Mitsuteru's stab. "So you're going to kill me, Sakaki?"

"No," The swordsman said quietly. "We must bring you back and repair the damage these bandits have done to your mind."

"… looks like there is no negotiating with you," She muttered as she examined her torn sleeve. Making up her mind, she ripped it off and used the strip of cloth to tie her hair back. There was no choice. In terms of experience, Mitsuteru was levels above her. She could not win with sword skills alone.

But oh how she hated this.

Mitsuteru felt her soul wavelength suddenly increase in intensity, right before she unleashed an attack so startlingly fast and strong that she ripped a fissure in the earth where he stood not a moment ago. Holding his breath, he braced himself for a follow-through… but none came.

Or so he thought.

"_Perish._"

A blast of scorching hot wind threw him into the trees, smashing through several trunks before slamming against a large rock. Gasping in pain, Mitsuteru dropped to the ground, feeling blood welling out from numerous cuts on his body.

He felt Aoi land a few feet away and suppressed a tremor of fear. Her wavelength, so calm and steady was now erratic and dangerous. It was like she had become somebody else.

"You will stop chasing us." She stated. It was not a plea, nor was it a request. It was an order that is expected to be obeyed. "I am not insane. I will return to Reddo on my own, so tell Nene not to worry."

"You – "Mitsuteru coughed blood, balking at the coppery tang filling his mouth; "How do you expect me to believe that?"

"You know I'm not in danger, brother. You're just being stubborn." There was sadness in her voice. Disappointment. "Please."

And she was gone.

* * *

Izuma Kaname knew the dangers of misconception. But really, looking at the pink-haired pint-sized spitfire before him looking for all the world like a teenage peasant girl you could find anywhere, you could hardly blame him. And yet the sizeable craters around him, created by said pint-sized girl proved that the misconception could have cost him dearly. "Oh my oh my…"

Lamia watched him with calmness in her eyes, three of her glass spheres waiting to be thrown. It was just her luck to be fighting with a man who was as slippery as a snake!

"Explosion spheres," He regarded the balls she was holding. "It would be disastrous if I got hit."

"So do you mind backing off already?"

"That," Kaname adjusted his glasses; "Is even worse than getting hit."

_This is madness!_

"This is mismatched," Shinjou Ichirou announced as he warily watched the trees. "You and I are two different – oi!" He snapped when he had to dodge a bullet. His speciality was hand-to-hand combat, not this!

From ten feet away, hidden in a tree branch Takayuki peered through the scope of his rifle. It was fortunate that Shinjou thought him a coward – he allowed Takayuki a good head start, allowing him to set up his rifle in a good location.

Takayuki allowed himself a snicker. _Idiot_.

While Takayuki seemed to get the sweet end of the deal, Hilda found that her opponent wasn't so easy to deal with. Shizuka possessed a monsterous strength; splintering rocks and other equally hard objects with her legs. She rather reminded him of Tatsumi, but unlike his haphazard fighting style Shizuka's movements were economical and orderly.

It was fortunate the Black Sword could not be destroyed so easily, but she could only dodge so much. Shizuka's defense was first-rate – she was almost as good as Yolda. Which spelled bad news for the nursemaid... very bad news. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Tatsumi and his opponent, Hisaya had not moved an inch. She frowned slightly. _What is happening there_ _?_

The two men were locked in a staring war, though to be honest Tatsumi simply stared because he didn't know what to do. Eventually Hisaya raised his fists. "Oga Tatsumi, today I will get revenge."

The bandit raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment. Revenge? "... Sorry about your sister. But that was Furuichi, really."

Miki nearly did a double take, flustered. "I don't have a sister!"

"Then it must have been your girlfriend. You look too young to have a wife."

"_Why must it be about females?"_

"Because that idiot Furuichi likes to pick up chicks using my name," Tatsumi shrugged. "So if it isn't your sister or girlfriend, what is this revenge for?"

Miki angrily shot forward but missed his punch. Barely. Tatsumi flinched slightly as a cut tore open the skin of his cheek. Miki spun on his heel to deliver a roundhouse kick – and _that_ Tatsumi couldn't avoid. He took the blow and was sent flying three feet away, landing like a cat. _Shit_, he thought as he pressed a hand to his side. _That's one hell of a kick._

"Oga Tatsumi!" Miki roared; "Today I will revenge my father, whom you killed!"

"... your father?"

For him it was as if the world had stopped. When before he could only see Hisaya as a faceless opponent to be defeated, now everything was clear. This wasn't just some bump in the road. This was his past, coming back to bite him in the ass.

And shit, was it painful.


	16. Get Up

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. This chapter was rather... difficult. I have tried my best, but maybe it will need a rewrite. Do read and tell me what you think!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 16**

~ Get Up~

* * *

"She is _what_?"

Ikaruga Suiten, once known as the fearsome Black Lady of Makai stared at the water mirror in disbelief. In its clear depths the worried face of Ootsuki Nene, the commander-general of Reddo Teiru's army was reflected, rippling gently. "Worry not Lady Ikaruga. The Rokkisei have gone to retrieve her. They should be back with her in a while."

Suiten pursed her lips. Nene's words did little to console her. To have been kidnapped right under Nene's nose is one thing, but to have actually held Aoi for any length of time meant that whoever was behind the attempt was something special. For Aoi to not break free immediately, or try to contact _her_ puts the game in an entirely different light. It would have been highly unlikely for her to not have a bowl of water to wash her face, hence the only reason Suiten could think of why she had not been communicating was because she did _not_ want to communicate.

The very idea of it made her annoyed beyond compare. _That stubborn girl_.

Suiten banished the water mirror connection between her and Nene and stood up. In the darkness of the mediation room, the only illumination came from the water mirror, chiseling her expression in stark, grim shadows. While she normally found solace in such ambience, today it did nothing to soothe her temper.

Two attendants hovered in the shadows, awaiting her orders. Suiten had but one.

"Prepare my dragon."

* * *

"Is this the place?" Saotome Zenjyuurou peered over the side of the dragon he was riding on. Even in Makai, dragons were a rarity and extremely difficult to tame, people instead preferring to use the tamer Akbaba bird. The dragon, Rajio was a luxury bestowed to him as a Royal Channeler, and Quetzalcoatl was currently clinging to its tough thorny hide for dear life. Unlike an Akbaba, a dragon's ride is considerably faster. And more unstable.

"Should be around here." The general crawled up to dragon's back. "I sense quite a few strong soul signatures though."

"And killing intent," Saotome pointed to signs of destruction-in-progress. "Their soul signatures are mixed together – can't make out head or tail of anything. How about Hecatos and Graphel?"

Quetzalcoatl took out the tracking device and peered at it. "Graphel is unknown, but Hecatos' is southeast of here. Very faint."

"Well off you go then." Zenjyuurou stood up and Quetzalcuatl stared at him in puzzlement and something akin to anxiety hovering in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Zenjyuurou paused just long enough to pop a cigarette between his lips. "Investigating." And with that, the Royal Channeler simply stepped off the dragon, plummeting to the earth feet first with a calm expression.

"W- wait!" Quetzalcoatl clutched the hard scales on the dragon's back and gave a terrified whimper. "How do I land this thing, Zen? You idiot!"

* * *

_It's all my fault._

_If I didn't follow my stupid heart, nobody would get hurt. _

_If only I didn't give in..._

_If only they had said 'no'_

_If only I was braver, I won't need help!_

"Princess!"

She paused in mid-step to let Hidetora catch up to her. The big brawler looked the worse for wear, but he still looked like he wanted to fight another round. "Where is...?"

"Asleep. He won't be waking for awhile," Hidetora shrugged and Aoi blinked before exclaiming; "Your arm! It's broken!"

"...Oh yeah," Hidetora looked down at his twisted appendage. "Well I can still punch with the other fist."

"Wait," Aoi tore off her other sleeve and made a makeshift sling. "Just keep out of trouble until Lamia or Dr. Folcass can see to it, alright?"

"... That robe you're tearing up..." Hidetora looked at her and she sheepishly smiled. "My ceremonial robes, I know. But if it makes you feel any better, all the clothes I brought are this fine. It's nothing special."

"Huh." Hidetora fingered the fine fabric. "I'll pay ya back. I don't like being indebted... 'specially not to a girl."

"Idiot," Aoi muttered, reddening. "Let's hurry and get to the others. I have a bad feeling."

If only Aoi knew how accurate her instincts were.

* * *

"...Your father, huh?" Tatsumi ignored the pain in his side. A cracked rib, maybe two. It's been a while since he suffered an injury this severe... but come to think of it, lately he had been roughed up more than usual. No thanks to the blonde. He forced himself to focus on the current situation. "If I remember right, he was only fugly dude. I don't see the resemblance."

"He was my stepfather, but that doesn't make him any less a parent." Hisaya narrowed his eyes. "You think just because you can only die once, you can insult him freely?"

"... Yeah, something like that." Tatsumi flexed his arms, testing for damage. Apart from his ribs, he seemed to be in the pink. "So you've come to kill me. Sounds fair..." He hesitated and glanced at Hilda. The woman was still fighting Shizuna... or to be precise she was still dodging and blocking. He didn't know how much longer she could hold before losing her strength, but he sensed it could be any time soon. And she even had the baby on her back.

Tatsumi turned back to Hisaya. "I feel sorry for your loss and all that... but sorry. I can't let you kill me just yet."

Furious at his callousness, Hisaya charged again but Tatsumi had anticipated it and blocked him this time. The impact was strong enough to jar his frame, the vibration going all the way to his shoulders. He kneed Hisaya in the same moment, catching the Rokkisei in the gut. At that precise moment a glass marble shattered next to him, blowing chunks of earth and dust into his vision. "Oi!"

Lamia winced as she somersaulted, dodging Kaname's attack. "Sorry! My hand slipped!"

Too late the damage was done. Hisaya recovered and slammed a fist into his stomach, punching all the breath out of him. Tatsumi staggered back and a second later Hisaya's fist slammed into his jaw twice more, splintering all thoughts in his head. He could taste blood and feel his innards screaming in agony – it did feel like his stomach had been blown apart. Before he could move a muscle the smaller fighter quickly caught him in an uppercut that completely numbed his senses, sending him flying a good three feet away until he crashed to the ground, his head reeling. He tried to get up but only succeeded in causing more pain to his battered body. He tried to roll over – anything – but all he could do was cough more blood. He could feel it pooling in his throat, slowly choking him. _Strangled by my own blood... you've got to be kidding me! _

"Oga! For heaven's sake - Oga!"

Through the ringing in his ears, the blurriness of his vision he could hear the demanding voice that could only belong to Hilda. He could also blearily see Hisaya readying himself for the kill.

"Get up!" Her voice was getting shriller, amplified by his dazedness. "Oga!"

Shizuna tried to catch Hilda in what she hoped was a moment of weakness, but Hilda furiously punched her away in a surprising show of strength. With a spurt of black energy she leaped and landed next to the fallen fighter before swiftly casting a seal on the ground, causing black energy to rise up in a dome around them and repelling Hisaya away. "Get up, Oga!"

Hisaya charged at the wall but it simply deflected his attacks back to him. Inside, Hilda winced as the wall bit back at her. By right she was mad – suicidal even - to be using the Black Wall in her current state, but she had no choices left.

_Really? You can just let him die. He's just a nobody. He doesn't even treat you nicely. He's insufferable and uncivilized. Why are you risking your life for him?_

Why, indeed...?

... Because it feels right.

That single epiphany banished all doubts from her mind. _Get up Oga_, she chanted mentally, furiously. _You can't die here. I haven't repaid the blood debt to your insufferable, uncivilized self yet. You have to get up!_

With every last bit of strength left in her she roared; "GET UP, YOU DAMN FOOL!"

It hurt.

No, that was an understatement. It was screaming agony, if only he could scream. He felt... different. Heavy. Like his body had given up.

For the first time in his life he felt, truly, like he was on the brink of death.

He wanted to ask – Furuichi, where are the angel babes you said would escort our souls to heaven? All I can see is Hilda's back, and you and I know she's the least angelic creature on God's green earth. She doesn't have wings either, just a baby on her back. A sleeping baby.

One that won't wake up.

One that she's giving everything to protect.

The resignation in his soul churned to one of quiet discontent. Why won't he wake up? Curse or not, he's the reason why everything's in a mess. To be fair putting the blame on an innocent infant was hardly rational thinking but Tatsumi wasn't quite sane at the moment. He found himself getting more and more angry at the little prince. "Get up!" He could hear Hilda cry. "Get up, Oga!"

Yeah.

Why don't you...

... just...

"GET UP YOU DAMN FOOL!"

That was the final straw. He didn't know how, he didn't care. All he knew was the lethargy suddenly lifted from his limbs and he simply pushed himself up to a crouch, his blood dripping to the ground but he was _not dead_. He was alive. The ringing in his ears was replaced by a buzzing, a restless noise that seeped to his bones and made his very soul tremble with anticipation. _Get up_, he could hear Hilda's voice echoing in his mind and he found himself repeating the same thing, only he was talking to someone else. _Get up._

"Get up," It spilled from his lips in a hoarse whisper. Hilda still had her back to him, unaware he was no longer stretched on the ground. He focused on the baby on her back and slowly lifted a hand, placing it on the patch of untidy verdant hair on his little head. "... Up." He said, clearer this time. Hilda froze and looked over her shoulder. "What are you doing– "

She barely managed to finish her sentence before she felt her knees grow weak and she sank to the ground, stunned. Frantic, she wildly tried to get to her feet but her body was refusing her. Even breathing proved difficult and she struggled for great gulps of air, feeling her head reel. _Is this Oga? Is he doing this?_

Her arms suddenly constricted and sharply twisted. The pain tore a scream from her and the dome was forcefully shattered, vanishing in a whirl of energy. Simultaneously she could breathe again and she fell on her arms, panting.

"...That was pretty close, ain't it? Cutie Hilda."

Though the red haze she registered the voice and felt her stomach churn. _Saotome Zenjyuurou!_

The Royal Channeler gazed down dispassionately at her, an unlit cigarette hanging from the corner of his lips. "A few more seconds and you'd have been nothing but a pretty corpse. Shame, that."

She tried to answer. Anything. But all thoughts of speaking fled the moment a sound registered in her mind, and her heart stopped, unable to believe what she was hearing.

Crying.

Wailing.

The most glorious sound she could ever hope for.

... Prince Belze was crying!


	17. Relations

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: Note that this chapter pulls back and follows Saotome Zenjyuurou for quite a bit, so you will feel like the story is repeating itself. Thank you to everyone who is following this piece, I'm really happy that so many enjoy this silly fanfic of mine! I would really like to read your opinions - good or bad, I accept all of them. Thank you to all who have reviewed especially _**pinksamurai1014, Illusion137, Massu Chan**_ - you always make my day^^

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 17**

~Relations~

* * *

It was the opinion of many Makai chroniclers that Saotome Zenjyuurou was the worst Royal Channeler in history. For years until his mentor's death, he was constantly overshadowed by the older Channeler. He was never polite enough, he was never dignified enough. The old king disliked him to a tee.

It was also the opinion of those same chroniclers that Saotome Zenjyuurou was, hands down, the strongest Channeler Makai had ever seen. That was the only thing going for him, the only reason why he was rescued from the city's slums when he was a small child to be trained in the palace. Nobody believed that the little bony beggar boy had the best soul reading ability, even better than his mentor's. But people started to notice when he successfully synched with the then-crown prince, Beelzebub III. And suddenly he wasn't 'that filthy commoner' anymore but 'Lord Saotome'... eventhough he was barely out of puberty. Courtiers who once gave him disgusted looks suddenly began bowing and addressing him oh-so-politely...

And Zenjyuurou hated it. Hated the whole farce, hated the fakers and the ass-kissers. Being strong, but with no real dignity. And people knew that, and he knew that. Perhaps the rebellious attitude was born then, as a mockery to everything around him.

That combination was an oxymoron to say the least and the result was that support for him in the palace was cleanly split down the middle. Women either loathed him or loved him. Men either found him cool or irritating. He had groped every chambermaid on their first day of working in the palace. He had pissed off every husband and fiancé to every female courtier at least once and got into more honor duels than any knight in the history of Makai.

It was a surprise, therefore, when King Beelzebub III, who grew up with Zenjyuurou as his only Channeler suddenly announced that Zenjyuurou would be the Queen's Channeler. Within an hour of his appointment even the kitchen scullery maids speculated the Queen would have him beheaded by the end of the day for one impropriety or another. Afterall didn't his wife leave him, no thanks to his promiscuous nature?

Still, years went by and he remained in the Queen's service. The worst punishment he ever received from the King was a playful ribbing for accidentally leaving his fly open before appearing in the Throne Room. It would seem that in order to keep his hands off the Queen, the cad had evenly distributed his lecherous attentions on every other female entity in the palace.

Every one, except Prince Belze's Royal Guard.

Rumors were aplenty. Some said he had tried but was violently rejected and warned ever to come within ten feet of her again.

Truth is, he never wanted to. From the first time he met her he could see that she wore a clear 'DO NOT TOUCH' sign on her head and he respected that she was entirely focused on her charge. To him, Hilda was a no-man's land and that's that. He was satisfied with just some light teasing, amused at how her emerald eyes flashed when he made some lewd remark about her bust or her sexy voice. Her sister, Yolda, was more open to flirtation but she was no less ruthless if Zenjyuurou went a little too far. Still despite all that, Zenjyuurou preferred the stoic Hilda to the sultry Yolda.

"Now where are you, Hilda-chan...?" He murmured as the ground rushed up to meet him.

Nobody noticed his presence until he landed squarely between Kaname and Lamia's fight. The medic's jaw nearly dropped in shock – and nearly dropped her glass explosives as well. "... Lord Saotome?" She squeaked in disbelief.

* * *

"Hurry!" Aoi and Hidetora raced through the trees. From the foliage above Alaindelon in bird form flew down to join them. "A dragon just flew past overhead," He squawked. "I can't see it too well but it can't be good news."

"A dragon?" Aoi bit her lip as she ran, thinking. There weren't too many people who could tame dragons to be used as transportation, which narrowed down the list of 'who' to a very manageable scale. In fact she believed she had enough fingers to count them on. "Lady Ikaruga has a dragon. It could be her. But it's unlikely she came here so quickly."

Hidetora easily loped over a protruding tree root and grunted. "Could actually be a good thing if she comes to us instead of us going all the way to Reddo," Hidetora said and Aoi scrunched her face up. Hidetora noted how she was slowly beginning to mimic Lamia's expressions, losing more and more of her stuffiness. "But I won't be able to go to Chinpira if she comes."

... And getting a little petulant too. "Forget Chinpira, we won't even go over that mountain if we don't see how the others are doing!"

* * *

Shinjou ducked out of a bullet's path, keeping his eyes trained on the spot where Takayuki was firing from. He had been steadily making a beeline for the sniper's location without revealing that he knew where it was, feeling smug at how stupid Takayuki was to not move.

Thus he was never prepared for a shot coming from a branch right above and behind him. Takayuki watched the Rokkisei fall under the sleeping drug in the bullet. After making sure he was out cold, Takayuki jumped down and ran over to the rifle he had prepared, disabling the tracking spell that kept the gun trained on Shinjou and the 'finger' that pulled the trigger at regular intervals. "What an idiot," Takayuki muttered as he got back behind the sights and swung the rifle to aim at where Lamia and Hilda were. Instead he found a new arrival – a man dressed in sharp midnight blue robes and a maroon bandana holding his wild black hair back. "Who the heck – "

"Night-night kids." With a single chop of his hand Zenjyuurou took out all the Rokkisei in the vicinity, knocking them unconscious in the blink of an eye. In the next second he stood in front of the Black Wall and frowned at it. The Black Wall spell was high-level defensive magic that protected its occupants from magical and physical attacks – at the cost of the spellcaster's life energy. He touched the barrier to feel the soul wavelengths of its occupants –

And jerked his hand back in alarm. He whipped around and saw Lamia. He vaguely remembered her as Dr. Folcass' apprentice, though as to _why_ she was there did not seem quite important for now. "Oi, you! Who's in there?"

"Wh..." Lamia stammered – "Miss Hilda, the Prince, and Oga. Miss Hilda conjured the Wall to protect Oga."

Hilda.

In a Black Wall.

"_Whoa," Zenjyuurou whistled as he watched Hilda spar with a warrior from a neighboring country. Her movements were lightning-fast. Her sword, the shapeshifter Alaindelon was perfectly suited to her style – a long thin rapier as compared to larger and heavier straight swords. Accuracy over power. "That's one girl who knows how to handle a sword."_

"_Hmm," Dr. Folcass smiled as he leaned against a pillar, arms crossed comfortably across his chest. "I have it on the best authority that she was actually asked to make magical studies her primary field, but she refused and pursued swordsmanship anyway. She mastered the Black Wall before her second year, isn't that something?"_

"_...That's some serious shit. Someone actually went and studied that crazy creation of yours?"_

"_Of course I am honored," Dr. Folcass began to giggle rather maniacally; "It is my ultimate defensive spell, afterall."_

"_Sure, you can use it to its maximum potential," Zenjyuurou tsk-ed. " What about her?"_

"_Oh... I imagine she can cast a pretty strong one," Dr. Folcass smiled wanly. "She's the Queen's guard, afterall."_

"Tch." He gathered power into his fist and punched the wall – nothing. It remained unmoved, still, ominous. "'A pretty strong one' is one hell of an exaggeration," Zenjyuurou growled.

Lamia gasped when she felt her soul wavelength being tugged on. She snapped up to see a Royal Seal shining on the Black Wall, and instantly she knew what he was doing. "Hey! Don't force a synch without warning!"

"Not enough." Zenjyuurou frowned at the power gathered in his fist. Eventhough he had taken Lamia's energy and molded it to his own, the amount just didn't suffice. "The girl's power is a serious pain in the ass."

"Lamia!" Aoi and Hidetora appeared at the edge of the clearing and almost instantly the two stumbled to their knees, stunned with no clue why their strength just suddenly left them. From above, Alaindelon screeched before he too dropped beside them in a heap of feathers. Lamia groaned, arm outstretched in the act of trying to stop them from coming. "I said don't force a synch without our permission! You crazy idiot!" She snapped at Zenjyuurou.

"Doesn't matter, this is sufficient." Zenjyuurou's fist pulsed with black energy, strong enough to visibly make his fist waver ad shimmer. "Here we go!"

With a grunt he fiercely punched the royal seal pulsing on the Black Wall. It trembled mightily, trying to absorb and lose the energy given to it but Zenjyuurou had estimated correctly. The trembling became a shudder, the shudder became a rumbling, growing larger and louder before finally conceding to the greater force. With a roar the Wall shattered to a million pieces, like fragile crystal. Like a pressurized canister, the second the Wall shattered something exploded forth, tearing across the landscape in a fierce wind that swept Lamia off her feet. She would have hit some trees if Takayuki had not caught her, he himself precariously anchored to a tree. "What the hell is happening?" He shouted above the roar. Lamia tried to answer him but under the forced synch, it was all she could do to just stay conscious. From the corner of her eye she could see Aoi, Hidetora and Alaindelon on the ground. _Mad,_ she thought with a shiver of fear.

A Black Wall's strength is directly proportionate to the magic power of its caster – to need to sync simultaneously with four people was not only proof of Zenjyuurou's mastery in Channeling but also testament to how much power Hilda was using to protect Tatsumi.

The only one standing in the aftermath of the explosion was Zenjyuurou. He calmly stared at the girl doubled up in front of him, her small frame heaving with the gulps of breath she took. Behind her was a youth who looked like he had just come back from the dead. But even in his bloodied and bruised state, he continued to tightly cradle the infant Prince.

While he was visually taking all this in Zenjyuurou also confirmed what made him panic earlier - the prince's wavelength and the youth's wavelength were identical and amplified. The strength of the Black Wall had backfired on Hilda; the amplified sync had built up inside the dome and paralyzed her, like drowning in a tub of water. Had he not forcefully broken the Black Wall, she would have died unknowingly by the Prince's hand.

He focused back on the nursemaid. "...That was pretty close ain't it? Cutie Hilda. A few more seconds and you'd have been nothing but a pretty corpse. Shame, that."

He turned to the youth named Oga, who was holding the wailing baby. Prince Belze was crying like a he was possessed by a demon and through all that Zenjyuurou heard Hilda stammer disbelievingly; "Young Master... you're..."

She somehow managed to turn around and stare dumbfounded at the babe. Tatsumi looked down at the baby, unsure why he was feeling so tired.

"You're... crying...!" She finally exclaimed tremblingly.

Tatsumi stared at her, suddenly noticing how her eyes shimmered. "Oh don't you dare – "

"Your Highness!" Hilda tightly cupped her hands over her mouth to suppress her tears of relief, but her body racked with sobs. It was as if all the days and nights of pent-up emotion had gushed forth in an unstoppable torrent, and Tatsumi felt beads of sweat form on his brow and looked up at Zenjyuurou. The older man raised an eyebrow and produced a cigarette lighter. "Sucks to be you, kid."

_Aww crud._

He was never any good at handling crying females. It occurred to him that one of the reasons why he was so antagonistic towards Hilda was the simple fact that he had never seen her cry. No tears, ergo, not a girl.

How very wrong he was.

He focused on the bawling baby and winced. At this point in time he suddenly wished the baby had never woken up – what a pair of lungs he had! "Oi," He roughly nudged Hilda. "Hey."

She abruptly stopped crying, though she still looked like she had a whole reservoir held back. He gingerly handed the prince to her, feeling a little lost now that the little bundle was squirming and waving its tiny fists around angrily. "I think he's hungry."

"Hungry," Hilda suddenly gasped and paled. "Oh no..."

"Don't worry, everything hash been antishipated!"

Hilda saw Dr. Folcass, Lamia and Takayuki approach. The silver-haired youth eyed the crying infant with raised eyebrows. "Well I'll be damned. How did this happen?"

Aoi and Hidetora unsteadily got to their feet, wobbling. "What happened just now?" Aoi murmured, bewildered. Looking around she saw the Rokkisei lying several feet away, all still. Alarmed, she got up to help them but instantly felt her head swim.

Alaindelon twitched and morphed back to his human form. "It seems Lord Saotome had forcefully synchronized with us," he said weakly. Upon seeing Aoi's perplexed expression, he explained; "Lord Saotome's abilities are such that he can synchronize with our soul wavelengths and forcefully use all our energy for his own use. Earlier he had done exactly that – he channeled a large amount of energy, leaving us with too little."

"I'm not liking him very much, this Lord Stupidass of yours," Hidetora growled. Aoi laughed nervously before stopping in amazement, finally getting her bearings correctly. "Is Prince Belze crying...?"

"Lamia hash prepared shome rashions in cashe the Prinshe wakshe up." Dr. Folcass gestured to Lamia, who took out a vial of liquid. "He must be hungry after sleeping for so long," The medic's eyes twinkled as she handed the vial to Hilda. The nurse accepted it gratefully, her eyes glimmering in gratitude and relief.

Unfortunately the beautifully poignant moment was crudely smashed by Tatsumi, who somehow decided that it was the perfect moment to make an inappropriate remark.

"You mean you don't breastfeed him with those big jugs?"


	18. The Reason Why You Can't Leave Me

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: And thank you for waiting! Sorry for the delay, I hope this chapter makes up for it. Enjoy!^^

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 18**

~ The Reason Why You Can't Leave Me ~

* * *

For a city as orderly as St. Ishiyama, it was almost a given that nothing could occur within its walls and not be known by _somebody._ Hence once Nene and her squad were declared hale and fit, they made their way to the one person in the city who would most likely have the answers they seek – the Record Keeper.

"Who," Nene said as they strode down the street, cutting a path through the river of people; "Is bold enough to kidnap the Princess?"

To be fair Nene was simply asking a rhetorical question. But her squad decided to answer it anyway. "He isn't a petty thief," Chiaki said quietly as the phantom sting of the energy ball that took her down itched on her back. The doctors had commented that the energy ball was just strong enough to knock her out without leaving any lasting damage on her body, which indicated a very skilled mage. "He has an accomplice, someone who is well-versed in magic."

"Highly skilled in physical combat too," Kaoru, the strongest swordsman of the four supplied as she remembered how fluidly the man had moved; almost like he existed in a faster timeframe. "We have already known that the village has many criminals but the way he fights suggests that he isn't your average cutthroat."

"Hmph. We could be describing the Rokkisei for all it's worth. The evidence isn't much, but I have his likeness," Nene stopped at a modest white building marked 'Records'.

The interior of the building was just walls. Walls lined with bookshelves, which in turn was filled with books in varying stages of wear. People scurried back on forth, some attending to visitors while others scribbled furiously in books or rearranged the neverending rows of tomes. One stopped long enough to peer at them. "I am busy but... may I help you ladies? "

"We're looking for criminal records."

The man waved them further in. "Speak to the Record Keeper. If he isn't busy, that is."

Several other attendants helped them to a large semicircular desk set against the back of the room. Light filtered down from a stained glass skyroof, casting the jolly round man in a multitude of colors despite his plain white clothes. "I keep records, yes, all records," He nodded. "Births, deaths, marriages, divorces, graduations, visiting dignitaries – "

"Criminals?" Nene interjected curtly and he paused before acknowledging; ".. And criminal records."

"I need to identify this man I met in Ishi village," Nene withdrew a piece of paper and spread it on the table. "I need a name and some background, if possible. He's a pretty skilled criminal," Nene said loudly, glaring at Chiaki, who was muffling her giggles. "Very fast, very strong. Medium build with dark hair."

The Record Keeper peered at the sketch Nene had drawn for him. "... Ishi village?" The man scratched his head and peered at it again. "About medium build, dark unruly hair, very fast and very strong?"

"Yes, yes, yes to all of the above," Nene said impatiently, getting annoyed. "Do you know him?"

"You Reddo girls need to brush up on your painting skills," the man commented offhandedly and a vein popped on Kaoru's forehead. "How dare you imply – "

"Forget it, Kaoru," Nene stopped her underling. The Record Keeper, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had just gotten away with insulting the General of the Reddo elite soldiers rummaged around the shelf at his back and pulled out a very large, well-worn book. From within it he perused the writings within, running his index finger down rows and rows of writing, some so old that they were barely legible. Eventually he stopped and hummed. Then he pulled out a rolled up scroll from a basket stuffed full of them and unrolled it on the table. "Is this the man you're looking for?"

All four girls bent down to look at the scroll. It was a bounty poster, the image clearly sketched by an expert painter. In comparison to Nene's poor doodle, there was no need for guessing who it was. "Oga Tatsumi," Nene read the name; "Wanted for the murder of Lord Miki. Bounty: 5000 pieces of gold."

"Ah, yes. Oga the Ogre. There are some other wanted posters of him back there," the man jerked his thumb towards the basket; "But this is the one for which he is most famous for."

"You mean even with this massive bounty, he still hasn't been arrested?" Chiaki asked incredulously.

"In the beginning people did try. He gave them a good thrashing, some even to the brink of death. But no one succeeded. That's when his nickname stuck."

"Who is this Lord Miki?" Nene questioned and the Record Keeper paused before slowly stroking his beard. "Lord Miki was a respected lord. One day Oga came marching up to Lord Miki's castle without a single weapon, knocked down all the lord's guards and kidnapped him along with the lord's prized stallion."

"Why?" Nene blurted out and the Record Keeper shrugged. "Nobody is quite sure why. Perhaps he wished to take Ishi Village, which belonged to Lord Miki then."

"How did he kill the lord?"

"He suffocated Lord Miki in a manger full of manure, so they say."

"...What a sadist," Nene shuddered. "Our princess is in the hands of that psycho!"

"Well rumor has it that The Ogre has a soft spot for women. Any female bounty hunter who tried to capture him were knocked out and dumped at the city gates, pretty much unharmed." He paused, trying to remember. "When the good Ladyship clung to him begging him to spare Lord Miki, he simply made her faint. The men? Not so lucky. My own son was part of Lord Miki's guards that time and he's still limping right now."

The girls reluctantly thanked the Record Keeper and proceeded out to the courtyard. They stopped by a fountain for a moment, each lost in thought. Eventually it was Chiaki who spoke first. "Do you think that was why he didn't kill us that time?"

Nene kept silent. True they had some bruises and the mother of all headaches when they woke up, but they had suffered worse injuries against far less skilled opponents. She absently rubbed her neck, remembering the short battle and the almost overwhelming strength they were up against.

"Do you think the Rokkisei can retrieve them?" Kaoru ventured. "They are six against, what... two? Three at the most?"

"I have no idea of their numbers," Nene frowned. "I honestly don't."

* * *

Somewhere in the sprawling complex that was the Makai Royal Palace, an entire wing had been reserved for the country's greatest general, the man known only as Behemoth. Although he was close to being a centenarian, there was nothing ancient about his cunning eyes or even his strong strides. Eventhough Behemoth constantly referred to himself as 'this old man', nobody was fooled. He may be wizened and grayhaired, but Behemoth was _not_ old. Anyone who ever tried to spar with Behemoth could attest that within that 90-year old body was the strength of a man in his prime – if not more.

"You're just a little overworked, general," Angelica smiled a little as she pinched some powder from a little jar and mixed it in the preparation bowl. "I'll give you something to help you sleep at night."

"Ah, these old bones aren't what they used to be," Behemoth took off his glasses and polished them with the edge of his robe, rubbing meticulously. "There's quite a lot of things to do with this little king-in-waiting."

"Must be difficult for you since your son isn't here," Angelica commented as she added some more herbs and oils to the mixture. The aroma of sandalwood and aniseed wafted to her nose in just the right proportions, masking the bitter notes of burnt horsehair and tyrocaine. "I wonder when will they come home?"

"The war in the North is not a trivial affair, Angelica," Behemoth sighed. "It's for the safety of our country."

"Shouldn't you have gone, though?"

"With these pains and aches?" Behemoth scrunched up his nose. "I'd just be a bother. No, Jabberwock is a better substitute."

"Well he **is** your son," Angelica smiled and handed Behemoth the mixture she had been preparing. "Here, mix this with warm water and drink it before going to bed."

"You are an angel, Angelica," Behemoth carefully accepted the packet. "I hope Jabberwock will find a bride as good as you. As a matter of fact, would you like to be his queen?"

"Lord Behemoth!" She admonished him with a red face. "Please do not jest about such matters!" Her embarrassment was not helped by Behemoth's booming laugh. "You'll be a nice queen for Jabberwock," He whistled as he jauntily sauntered out of the door. Once he was out of earshot, his belligerent smile turned to one of sly intent.

"A very good queen indeed."

* * *

With everyone's help, it took only ten minutes to explain the situation to Zenjyuurou. He listened quietly without interrupting, the cigarette between his lips burning a slow death. At the end of the narrative, he pointed to the now-quiet prince blinking sleepily in Hilda's arms. "SO! His Highness had been cursed."

He then moved to Hilda; "...and the nursemaid's been protecting him from his bad older brother."

Finally he looked at the rest in turn. "... and you lot somehow got tangled up in this mess. That's it, in a nutshell."

"Pretty much," Takayuki watched Hidetora and Tatsumi by the riverbank. Hidetora had finished loading all the unconscious Rokkisei onto a boat moored at the riverside. With a cheerful whistle he untied the anchoring rope and watched them gently float downstream. The river would eventually meander past St. Ishiyama... though he hoped they would wake up by then. It would be quite a blow to their dignity if a fisherman finds them sleeping in a little dinghy, all piled up like potatoes.

Tatsumi stared at the dinghy floating away from them. Carrying away Hisaya, his curse. One day the Rokkisei would come for him again, he knew it.

He wondered if he would give in and let his penance be done with.

"Oga," Hidetora was staring at him with an unreadable expression. He arched an eyebrow at the other man. He sincerely hoped Hidetora wasn't going to go all concerned on him. "What?" He asked gruffly.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Hidetora pointed to his swollen face, courtesy of Hilda's slap. Tatsumi twitched. _Forget I asked. _

Zenjyuurou looked up at the sky. Quetzacoatl should have found Hecatos and Graphel by now, which meant he didn't have much time. He tuned back to the present only to catch Takayuki finishing with; "... So it's great that you showed up in time to break the curse," Takayuki grinned and Zenjyuurou raised an eyebrow. "Who said I broke it?"

Hidetora and Tatsumi, who had returned from the riverbank stopped by both Aoi and Hilda. The two females suddenly found the ground extremely interesting. Hidetora blinked. "Didn't you wake the baby up?"

"Don't go assuming things, punk." Zenjyuurou flicked away the cigarette stub. "Every Channeler worth his salt in Makai had tried to synch with Prince Beelzebub, but his wavelength frequency is just way too high. I can't synch with him even if I meditate a million years."

"Then... Then -" Takayuki stammered – "If you didn't wake him up - Then who?"

Hilda and Aoi, both who had been unusually un-talkative during this whole period both glanced at Tatsumi before looking at a gecko scurrying on the ground again. Lamia sweat-dropped at the swelling on Tatsumi's face. Tatsumi, bless his soul, was the uncrowned king of bad timing. And Hilda never let him get away with anything, it seems.

Takayuki and Hidetora caught their drift and both simultaneously shrieked in horror; "NO WAY?"

"Well if you're trained in distinguishing soul wavelengths, that is in fact... 'way'." Lamia tapped her cheek thoughtfully as she stared at Tatsumi. "Oga's wavelength has changed to match the Prince's. I can't explain it but..."

"The fact remains," Hilda said tightly and drew a deep breath as if she had made up her mind about something. "This sorry excuse of a man is the Young Master's Channeler."

Tatsumi muttered something that suspiciously sounded like 'ungrateful bitch'. In retaliation Hilda viciously ground her elbow into his side. "Shut up! Do you know how mortifying this is? You, the last person on earth I wish to work with is now my beloved master's companion! Is there no end to my suffering?"

"Don't talk like you're the only victim here!" Tatsumi snapped as he straightened up and stood nose-to-nose with her. "Do you think I _want_ to be the brat's Channeler or whatever?"

"You should be honored, not insulted you ingrate!" Hilda hissed. "Hundreds of people out there would gladly give an arm and a leg to be a Royal Channeler! Urgh!" She threw up a hand up in despair. "Why do the good things always go to the undeserving?"

"Why are you so impossible?" He growled back.

"Why don't you two calm down?" Zenjyuurou placed his hands between them and separated the two. "Time's running short, kids. Hilda, Oga, you're coming back to Makai with me."

"Like hell I am!" Tatsumi snorted. "I only agreed to tag along to Reddo. That's pointless now that the kid's woken up right?"

"Well you see, that _would_ have been the case..." Lamia sheepishly laughed. "But we didn't expect _you_ to be the Channeler we were looking for. And the synch is still in effect – "

"I. AM. OUT." Tatsumi stressed each word and stalked away. Hilda said nothing. Lamia opened her mouth but was stopped by Hilda's gloved hand. She shot him a horrified look and was somewhat alarmed to see a malicious glint in Hilda's emerald eyes.

Prince Belze who before was blinking contentedly in Hilda's arms suddenly shuddered and began crying violently. Simultaneously, Tatsumi jerked, screamed and dropped to the ground, rolling in agony. "What-the-HELL?"

Aoi started forward but halted when Zenjyuurou clamped a hand on her shoulder. "Leave it, kid."

"But!"

"If the Prince is separated a certain distance from you while in sync, you will receive an assault of negative wavelength," Hilda calmly narrated as she walked towards him, closing the gap. Tatsumi's screams died down as the pain ebbed away and Prince Belze's wails dwindled to a hiccup, but the youth was still doubled over. It felt like his body had been turned inside out, stepped on, flayed and then stuffed back in before repeating the process. That didn't stop him from glaring daggers at Hilda through watery eyes, however. "You did that on purpose!"

"Only because you like to learn things the hard way," She smiled in satisfaction. "So until your wavelength returns to normal, you can't be separated from the Prince. If you do, you will suffer terribly until you die."

He groaned and cursed as he slowly got to his feet. "You're a demon."

"I'll be worse from now on, trust me," She bitterly returned and sighed before looking at Zenjyuurou. "Lord Saotome, can you pretend you never met us? I still have a promise to fulfill to the Princess. Even if we go back now, things are not safe until the King and Queen returns. It's best if I remain out of reach for now."

"... You're playing a hard hand here, Hilda," Zenjyuurou stared at her. "Do you think you can keep Behemoth in the dark for long?"

"It's worth trying."

Zenjyuurou stared at each of them – Hilda's defiance, Tatsumi's frown, Aoi's hopeful expression, Lamia's trepidation, Hidetora's blank stare, Takayuki's confusion. Finally he sighed and turned away. "Do what you like. I never saw ya. But – " he crooked a finger towards Lamia. "You, come here."

Takayuki watched as Zenjyuurou singled Lamia out to the side and he leaned towards Hidetora. "I'm understanding less and less. _He's_ the great Royal Channeler?"

"Indeed," Alaindelon popped up over his shoulder and causing Takayuki to give a girly shriek. "Don't _do_ that!"

"My apologies, my lord. Lord Saotome, along with Lady Ikaruga used to be the two best Channelers in Makai. At one time they both served the King and Queen together – but that was quite a few years ago."

"I bet he hit on her and she got disgusted," Takayuki snorted. "He sure looks like a sleazebag."

"Takes one to know one," Hilda, who had been listening remarked dryly. "But you are half-correct. Lady Ikaruga did leave him, but it was because he had been hitting on every other female except her."

"Whoa! Jealous much?"

"Of course." Hilda raised an eyebrow and nodded to Zenjyuurou, still deep in conversation with Lamia. "Lady Ikaruga Suiten as you know her now was once Lady Ikaruga Nazuna, honored wife to the King's Channeler, Saotome Zenjyuurou."


	19. What Matters To Me

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: I consider this a filler chapter somewhat. Enjoy!

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 19**

~ What Matters To Me ~

* * *

Yolda panted, sweat dripping off her face and limbs. Her training clothes clung to her skin, her grip on the metal staff slipping. She had bee training for... two hours? Four? She wasn't keeping track and neither did she care. Fueled by rage, she could have gone on forever. Around her training mannequins were scattered in various states of destruction. The sight would have alarmed most people, but Yolda wasn't happy.

"Why," She muttered as she flung the metal staff away and stared at her hands. They were calloused and bloody, the result of gripping the weapon too hard for too long. To be fair it had been quite a while since he had to train this hard. Ever since that day, she had been unable to use her weapon summon or teleportation skills. Her body felt heavy, like she was being weighted down in chains. And she knew why!

"_Princess Kunieda Aoi_," She breathed the name like it was filth. After she returned from the battle she spared no expense to find out who the unknown girl and man was. But to think the allied states of Touhoushinki had a fighter that good – and a princess no less! What made her want to retch was that the princess was with her sister, and that man...

She viciously punched the only mannequin left standing, her punch leaving a hole in its midsection. That man! How dare he... how dare she... how dare _they!_ For years Yolda had believed that Hilda was incapable of attracting the opposite sex. Despite being beautiful, men were afraid of her strength and personality. No one, not even that lecher Zenjyuurou went near her. And yet in that short span of time Hilda aligned herself with a man, even going so far as to entrust Prince Belze to him. Was he paid to do it? Yolda considered the idea and then immediately rejected it. Hilda was too honorable, too proud for that. She would not even ask for help from other Royal Guards, let alone riffraff like him! The idea of Hilda using her female wiles to coerce the man was even less likely than the first idea. But that wasn't what nagged her.

It was the trust.

_That_ was what really hit Yolda. Despite being sisters, Hilda had never been sisterly. They were rivals. Comrades, perhaps, but not friends. Hilda had never trusted her, her own blood and flesh. And now...

She felt a surge of anger and she bristled, stalking off to her chambers. She had nothing on the man yet, but it was just a matter of time. If he was important to her, she would rip it away. She would leave Hilda with nothing but herself, just like she should be - alone.

"Just you wait, Hilda."

* * *

Quetzacoatl looked up to see Saotome Zenjyuurou stroll up to him, looking for all the world like he had just returned from a walk. "Where have you been?" The general asked peevishly, the expression accentuated by the jester facepaint he normally wore. "Do you know what a horrible time I had trying to coax your dragon to land? And then it tried to turn back to Makai, and the Akbabas had to divert it but not before it tried to eat – "

"Where's Hecatos and Graphel?" Zenjyuurou interrupted Quetzalcoatl's rant. The jester General pursed his lips and pointed to two of his men near a tree. "Hecatos is there. He's pretty badly injured, but he's conscious. Graphel..." Quetzalcoatl hesitated before simply saying; "He'll live."

"Great. Let's get our asses back." Zenjyuurou lighted a cigarette and Quetzalcoatl shot him a suspicious look. "What did you find earlier? I presume it was nothing since you came back empty handed?"

"Just the St. Ishiyama Rokkisei chasing some bandits," Zenjyuurou shrugged without missing a beat. It was not easy to lie to Quetzacoalt's face – the man had a talent for discerning microexpressions. "I was feeling charitable so I helped them."

"Hmm. Trying to open friendship ties with St. Ishiyama now?"

Zenjyuurou arched an eyebrow and took a drag. "Who the hell said I was helping the Rokkisei? Moron. I helped the bandits."

Quetzalcoatl's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "You – You imbecile!" He spluttered. "Did they recognize you!"

"Don't think so," Zenjyuurou grinned nonchalantly and allowed Quetzalcoatl to rant about 'dignity' and 'anonymity'. He had provided just enough meat to satisfy curious fangs, and it was close enough to the truth to keep it consistent.

"_Heard northeast to the Tangled Forest. You'll have an easier time than going over the mountain where anyone can track you."_

_Lamia stared at him in horror before spluttering; "That's insane! The Tangled Forest is exactly that – tangled!There-is-no-straight-path-through-that-place!" Lamia stressed each word and Zenjyuurou shrugged. "You can manage it, now that the prince is awake and Folcass is with you," He said. Lamia frowned but conceded his point; as of now time was terribly short and they had to risk the dangerous forest or more pursuers will be after them. "And you?"_

"_I'll go back to Makai and try to send a message to His Majesty. Hopefully by the time Hilda-chan returns with the prince everything will be sorted out."_

_Lamia nodded and returned to the group to tell them about the change in plans. When she looked over her shoulder Zenjyuurou was gone, the only indication he had been there was the dim glow of a cigarette butt fading on the ground._

* * *

Oga Tatsumi awoke from slumber with a start. He had been in a courtroom, tried for some frivolous crime or other that he did not commit – lace? He pressed a hand to his face, trying to clear the dredges of sleep from his mind. His dreams were always ridiculous somehow, but lately they had been bordering on downright nonsense. He wondered if it was an indication that his sanity was slipping away – heck he knew his control over his life as he knew it was dashed to pieces the moment he saved Hilda that day.

Following Lamia's suggestion, they had taken the path through Tangled Forest. True to its name, the forest was... well... a mess. Vines stubbornly barred their path, tree roots kept trying to trip them and the thick foliage made it feel like it was perpetually night. The eerier atmosphere surrounding them eventually sapped their patience. They soon tired of walking and decided to make camp. Hidetora and Takayuki drew the short straws so they had to stand guard while the rest slept.

Or tried to.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the bedroll near him. Ever since he found out that being a certain distance apart from the baby would cause him pain, he was sensitive to the nursemaid's location. And now she wasn't where she was supposed to be, ergo less than five feet from him. He cautiously got up and let his eyes wander. This whole Channeling business was a lot of trouble, especially since he didn't have a clue what it was. He saw Takayuki by the fire, his half-lidded gaze staring blankly at the flames. Hidetora must be keeping watch somewhere else. If he was asleep Tatsumi would know.

He padded over to Takayuki and noticed some scratchings on the earth in front of the silver-haired youth. Takayuki noticed him and followed his gaze. "... Just planning for the journey ahead," He muttered. "Taking this path set us back maybe two days, but the good news is it's closer to Chinpira. Once we get out of here we'll be on the border of River country."

Tatsumi shrugged; maps were never his forte. "Where is she?"

Takayuki digested this. While he immediately understood who Tatsumi was referring to, it was a little... amusing, in a way, at the tone he used. "No idea. Got up awhile ago. Try looking around... she can't be far."

"Where are you, stupid woman?" He looked around before deciding on a direction. After just a minute of walking he caught sight of her, sitting on a fallen log just beyond the clearing they were camping in. As he neared, it became evident to him why she had moved away from the others – the prince was fussing.

So intent was she on trying to calm him down that she did not notice Tatsumi until he was standing right by her. Although it was rather dark Prince Belze must have known who it was for he immediately stopped crying and gurgled, reaching him arms out to Tatsumi. Surprised, Hilda looked up and her face instantly morphed to one of disdain. "What are you doing here?"

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," He glared, trying to match her frozen stare but failing miserably. "What do you think? I saw you were gone so I went after you."

Hilda paused and scowled at his choice of words. Clearly the man needed to be taught how to word his sentences properly so they wouldn't be taken the wrong way. "You were afraid to be shocked by the Young Master again, you mean."

"Duh." He sat down next to her and eyed the gurgling bundle warily. "What's up with him?"

"He could not sleep," Hilda adjusted the swaddling protecting the infant from the night chill. "I did not wish his crying to disturb the others. They need all the rest they can get."

"Hm." In the pale light he could barely make out her features but he didn't need to – her voice despite its hard edge carried the telltale roughness of fatigue. She was just as tired, if not more than the rest of them.

He didn't – couldn't understand her. Observing the gentleness she displayed with the baby, one could scarcely believe that this same woman had the viciousness of a tiger. Or tigress. Or maybe it was just a girl thing.

But even tiger-girls need rest, and it was apparent she wasn't getting enough. "Lemme hold him." He said suddenly. "He wants me to hold him, yeah?"

She cast him a surreptitious glance but grudgingly conceded. Prince Belze crowed in delight as Tatsumi held him and chucked out a tiny fist, catching Tatsumi on the nose. "Ow!"

"Wonderful, Young Master," Hilda smirked at Tatsumi's red nose. "It seems you will have a lot of fun with your Channeler."

"Why you – " Tatsumi gasped when Prince Belze intentionally (or not) shoved two fingers up his nose, happily crowing. "What the heck!"

Hilda couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. Nor did her hands help to keep the mirth in when she saw Prince Belze had somehow managed to get hold of tufts of Tatsumi's hair and was tugging on them for all it's worth.

"It's. Not. Funny. Damnit." Tatsumi said through gritted teeth as he tried to pry Belze away from his precious hair. "Here, take him back!"

"Giving up already?" Hilda arched an eyebrow even as her lips continued to smile. "Certainly, if you're that weak..."

He knew she was just goading him, but he simply hated the way she said it... like he wasn't even fit to spit on. "Oh yeah?" He snapped and got up, starting to pace with the baby. "Listen up tyke, I'm like... your big brother. Right. You don't pull my hair, ok? That's disrespectful. Ow!"

Hilda leaned against the tree behind her and placidly watched as Tatsumi waged war against the delighted infant. Truth is she was glad for the respite, no matter how brief. Although Dr. Folcass and Lamia had healed most of her injuries, the energy depletion resulting from the Black Wall could not be replenished so easily... if at all. She feared in her panic she had used too much life energy. Although before she had confidence in taking on even Yolda, now she feared she might not be able to win in a fight against her sister. The thought troubled her mightily. If she could not defend the prince against Yolda then she would not have a hope against Behemoth – nay – not even Behemoth – she would be mincemeat in a fight against his son Jabberwock even.

She focused on soul synchronization of the pair in front of her. The synchronization was steady though Tatsumi had no idea how to draw out Prince Belze power. She would have to teach him...

Her eyelids felt heavy and she blinked. She would have to teach him...

She watched Tatsumi play 'Oopsie-daisy' with the little prince and she couldn't help a small smile. Tomorrow, she thought hazily. I'll teach him...

... tomorrow.

Prince Belze was gabbing nonsense, phrases like 'Adah' and 'Dabu' and 'Abuh' and Tatsumi was getting tired of Oopsie-Daisy. "Oi Hilda, I think he's..." His words trailed off when he saw that the woman was fast asleep against the tree. Prince Belze fisted his collar and Tatsumi looked down at him inquiringly. The Prince blinked, as if saying 'Let's leave her alone.'

Tatsumi cast a last glance at the sleeping nursemaid and quietly took Prince Belze back to camp, setting him down on Hilda's bedroll. After a second thought he picked up the baby and tucked him in _his_ bedroll instead. "I don't want to hear her lecture when I wake up," He told Prince Belze. "She won't say anything if you sleep with me, lil' fella."

"Abuh," Prince Belze seemed to agree for he fell asleep almost instantly.

And indeed when dawn broke, that was how Hilda found them when she returned to camp. Everyone else including Takayuki were asleep in the morning stillness – she could be the only being awake for miles for all it's worth.

Crouching down next to the sleeping pair, it struck her how just easily Tatsumi bonded with Prince Beelzebub. Perhaps it was the Channeling, or maybe... maybe it simply was. She felt a twinge of envy, like the Prince favoring Tatsumi had slighted her. Well he had, but she was not in a position to complain. More importantly...

She noted the cut on his cheek from her previous slap. The youth's regeneration was really remarkable – Lamia only needed to heal his more severe injuries while his minor scrapes had all but healed by themselves. But the cut remained. A reminder?

"Serves you right," She whispered and stood up again. "Damn fool."

She wondered though, why the nickname no longer felt demeaning.


	20. I Don't Want To Be Separated From You

A/N: Sorry for the long break. Here's a longish chapter to make up for it. Hope you're comfortable!

**Grow On You**

Chapter 20

~ I Don't Want To Be Separated From You ~

* * *

Zenjyuurou remembered the first time he met his match.

It was during the Makai Ascension Celebration and he was the newly-appointed Royal Channeler to the newly-crowned King Beelzebub III. Wine flowed freely, songs and dance and color and laughter were everywhere. Every citizen was in celebratory mood – almost everyone. Everyone except him, Saotome Zenjyuurou.

Zenjyuurou was not made for pomp and parade. He was born a commoner in the deepest slums of the city bowels, ascending to the upper levels only due to a stroke of fantastic luck. He hated the royal robes he had to wear, hated the acceptance pledge he had to memorize – hated hated _hated_ everything. If it wasn't because 'Bub' (as he affectionately referred to the king) was there to silently appease his displeasure, he might have thrown a fit.

But he got through the ceremony somehow, managing to scape by with just one concealed yawn at the Lord Chamberlain's long-winding speech (If every Ascension ceremony was this awful, he swore he would kill himself before having to serve a new ruler). He recalled the ire on the various courtiers' faces – people who had objected to his appointment (some even tried to kill him). He remembered that there were only three people who were genuinely happy during the whole ordeal – Bub, his wife Iris, and Dr. Folcass.

But then again Dr. Folcass was always smiling genuinely. It seemed, to him, that the whole universe was a joke and only he knew the punchline. No matter the time, no matter the occasion, you can count of the Royal Physician to be smiling benignly through and though. But Zenjyuurou couldn't do that. He was never taught patience with people, social niceties were drilled into him only because he needed to know the duties of a Royal Channeler so he could perform his task without embarrassing the king. That never entailed not looking bored at social functions however, and so he expressed his feelings as best as he could.

As the final gong rang signaling the end of the arduous ceremony he slipped out of the Hall at the first opportunity and made a beeline for the exit. He had a vague notion of procuring large amounts of alcohol and drinking himself to oblivion, but first he had to find said alcohol. So preoccupied he was with his thoughts that he didn't notice _it_ until he had passed at least ten paces away. But when he did, he stopped. And slowly turned around.

What he had passed was one of the many greeting rooms in the palace, usually unused until a dignitary comes a-calling. Like most of the public areas of the palace the room had no doors – a brocade curtain was all the privacy accorded to its occupants.

And Zenjyuurou knew that while currently there were no less than thirty visiting dignitaries on the Palace grounds, this particular _wing_ should be empty. Yet he had felt it then – a presence that was only slightly out of tune with the surroundings – too close to be a natural occurrence.

An intruder.

At that moment he knew he had made a mistake. If the intruder was good enough to camouflage his presence to this degree, then it means it can also sense differences –

CRASH!

Uttering a curse he burst through the curtain only to find the room empty; the glittering remains of the shattered window the only indication that someone had been in there. Without thinking he leapt through the broken window and landed on a narrow ledge, his blood curling as he balanced himself. It was three floors up!

A slight movement to the left attracted his attention – a momentary shadow was darting around a decorative gargoyle. Masking his presence, he quickly gave chase.

Zenjyuurou swore the palace was not that big, but that night he must have ran ten miles – up and down, ducking around various ornaments and rooms that he never knew existed within its walls. The intruder was careful enough to stay away from places with people so it was just the two of them, playing a bizarre game of tag in the middle of the night. At times he got close enough to get a glimpse but it was all black clothes and masks, but he wasn't branded a lecher for nothing. His opponent, he knew, was a girl. A shapely one too. To be fair, that increased his motivation to catch her.

Eventually he got his opportunity to. She was heading to the medical wing, lair of the enigmatic Folcass. While the good doctor was currently occupied in the throne hall, Zenjyuurou had been in the medical wing enough times to remember the detention barrier pre-erected around the wards, activating upon Folcass' signal.

He found himself smirking as he chased her into the ward. Stepping over the threshold, he instantly shifted his wavelength to match Folcass' and performed the activation sequence. There was a sudden sound of wind and he heard a scream – his intruder had apparently run headlong into the barrier.

Sure enough, he found her doubled up on the floor in agony. "I swear, sometimes I don't know whether he's saving people to trying to kill them," He warily observed. "The detention barrier hurts something crazy. But you must know that know."

He stooped down and lifted her by the scruff of her shirt. "What are you? Thief? Assassin?"

"Neither," She mocked, the husky quality of her voice making him blink. "I was taking a walk."

He twitched at the blatant lie. "Well let's take a walk to the prisons, shall we?"

"What is going on here?" Folcass' demand made him look around, his grip still firmly on the intruder. "Oh, Folcass?"

The Royal Physician observed the scene with annoyance behind his ice-blue eyes, though he never stopped smiling. "I detected my barrier was activated. It could only be you, of course," He remarked dryly. "You'd better have a good reason Zen."

"I caught a mouse," He grinned. Before he could say another word he heard a tearing sound and a second later he was clutching cloth – nothing else. The woman had jumped to the window with her arms covering her exposed upper body and for a milisecond he swore he felt something - and he started forward in alarm. "Wait! You can't pass through!"

Too late, he felt her wavelength shift until it was approximate to Folcass' – but not quite. "I'll take you up on that offer some other time, _Zen_," She laughed and viciously kicked the windowpane to pieces before hurtling herself out. He lunged forward to catch her and missed. "Shit!"

"Hmm." Folcass stepped up to the window and stared at the inky blackness of night. "It is indeed fortunate that we are on the first floor."

"What the heck happened?" Zen demanded and Folcass arched an eyebrow. "Well," He said simply; "She escaped."

"Don't you dare mess with my head, Folcass. Argh!" He squinted into the darkness but this time there was nothing – whoever she was, she was gone.

"Don't be so upset, friend," Folcass patted his back. "She will be back."

Zenjyuurou had been too angry to pay attention to Folcass' words, but looking back he realized that Folcass had seen what he had not - ambition. Ambition brought her back, ambition made her stay. And he believed that ambition was the only reason why she married him.

All that brought a fresh stab of pain as he beheld the form of Suzaku approaching them, no doubt with its owner atop its head.

Quetzalcoalt squinted against the sun's glare as he too saw the dragon albeit but a speck on the horizon. "What is that?"

"Trouble." Zenjyuurou said tightly, voice gruff with worry. "Big trouble."

Even as he spoke the speck steadily grew larger. The telltale marks of a dragon began to manifest itself and it didn't take long for Quetzalcoatl to breathe a 'whoa'. Eventually both dragons were nose to nose, the akbaba squad hovering behind.

Ikaruga Suiten glared at the other dragon and its rider. _This_ was the precise reason why she refused to leave Reddo all these years – Fate had a way of throwing them together when she least wanted to. At least in Reddo she knew the chances of meeting her ex-husband was next to nil. "Greetings, Makai soldiers," She said icily and Zenjyuurou flinched when Quetzalcoalt gasped. "You're - !"

"Nazuna." Zenjyuurou cut in crispily.

The familiarity of how he called her did not escape the woman. "It's _Suiten_, Lord Saotome. Ikaruga Suiten." The disdain in her voice was clear – she wanted nothing to do with him. Well, the reciprocal applied. "You're in our way, _Suiten_," He mocked the name. "Move aside."

"Correction. _You_ are in _my_ way."

"Everybody is in everyone's way!" Quetzalcoatl burst out, anxious to diffuse a potentially explosive situation. "So let's just move aside, everyone, and let bygones be bygones eh?"

"What brings the Makai army this far south?" Suiten suddenly asked and Zenjyuurou raised an eyebrow. "That's none of your business."

Suiten stared at him for a moment, and her next words nearly made Saotome's jaw drop.

"Did you kidnap my princess?"

"Your princess?" Quetzalcoatl echoed and swiftly looked at Zenjyuurou. "Did you?"

"Like hell if I want anything to do with you Reddo women," Zenjyuurou grumbled. "We came to retrieve some soldiers, s'all."

Suiten studied him with a frown. She had been married to the man for over ten years. She had fought at his side, at his back, protecting his front. She slept with him as the last thing on her mind and the first thing when she woke up. Simply put, she knew him inside out… and she certainly knew when he was hiding something.

But honestly the accusation was just something she threw out to test his reactions. Not once did she believe (despite his terrible womanizing ways) that Zenjyuurou would stoop to kidnapping. But that did not answer why he was presently barring her path. Why were Makai soldiers there, and why did he come out personally to retrieve them? His story was full of holes.

_Aoi was taken by bandits_, she remembered Nene's report. There was no mention of Makai's involvement anywhere, and Nene was no greenhorn to battle. So the two incidents were mutually exclusive.

But her instincts rebelled against it. _There are no such things as coincidence_, she remembered Folcass saying once. _Everything is predetermined, following a divine plan heading to a set conclusion_. _We may stray, but we cannot stop ourselves from playing out the script written by Fate_.

She hated to think he was right.

"Have a nice day, gentlemen," She finally said and tapped her dragon's hide. "Forward, Suzaku."

As she passed him she thought she saw a faint, sad smile. But she never turned for a second look.

Zenjyuurou tapped his ride and they proceeded onwards, though he kept his senses on Suiten's soul wavelength as long as he could. So long as Tatsumi's party remained in the Tangled Forest, Suiten would not be able to detect them. It was not much but at least it was something.

_Nothing to do with Reddo women,_ he snorted. _Right._

Quetzalcoatl remained silent, and it was a long time before he saw Zenyuurou relax his stance. "What a surprise meeting her out here, huh?" He ventured cautiously. Even after being separated for so long the topic of his ex-wife was a sensitive one for Zenjyuurou. The Royal Channeler grunted, though Quetzalcoatl had no idea what it meant.

"I'm going to the North," Zenjyuurou said suddenly. "I've been away from His Majesty long enough."

"… Sure." The general shrugged. "Are you going to tell him about Hilda's treason?"

"Not like I have a damn choice do I?"

"Sure you do. You can _not_ tell."

"… You're really annoying, you know that?"

* * *

Folcass Rachmaninoff was older than he'd have most people believe. He had seen countless wars, drifting from one land to another – always moving. At times he had saved lives... at time he took them away. He had used and discarded many aliases; indeed 'Folcass' was just one name out of many. It's just that he had been using this one for longer than most. Over a hundred years, in fact. It was while in this form that he first met King Beelzebub I, father to the current king of Makai.

King Beelzebub I had been but a mere prince then, a sniveling snot of a boy who ran away from his entourage to hide in the forest. Folcass had been surprised to find the boy in front of his hut, cut and bleeding. He had no knowledge of the boy's lineage, but he was hurt and Folcass was compelled to aid him. The young prince told him his story, and Folcass gave him a vague sketch of his own.

Five years later the prince became King and he invited Folcass to live in the palace 'So you have someplace to call home'. Folcass disagreed with his motive, but took up the offer out of curiosity. A week, he told himself. He would observe life in the palace for a week and then disappear.

But a week became two weeks, and that became a month, and a month became years. Folcass found life in the palace to be agreeable to his traits. He developed defensive magic, he taught the royal children. He healed the sick. He was Folcass Rachmaninoff, Royal Physician to the Imperial Court of Makai.

And now, he was a Mu.

Thankfully the Mu did not have many facial muscles (or any muscles whatosever) to disclose what he was thinking. He rode on Lamia's shoulder as they trekked through Tangled Forest, silently observing. Hidetora and Tatsumi took the front, Hilda and Aoi in the middle while Takayuki... Takayuki was missing. As usual.

Folcass found his attention on the silver-haired youth more often than he liked. The boy was a contradiction... at least he felt that way. Takayuki did not have the signs of a troubled upbringing nor did he seem to be inclined to violence. True he had excellent aim and a cunning mind, but that alone could not explain why he had ended up with thinking-with-my-fists type like Tatsumi and Hidetora. At times he showed exceptional intelligence, at times he became a shrieking doddering idiot.

They had been walking for three days, the forest never once relenting on its attempt to slow them down. Folcass figured that should anybody try to follow them, it wouldn't be hard. All they had to do was follow the trail of destruction left by their twin bulldozers. Speaking of bulldozers, something had been bothering him. "Lamia," He spoke up and his apprentice glanced at him, careful not to trip over some roots. "Sir?"

He touched her temple and Lamia heard his voice – his human voice – in her mind. _How do you perceive the prince's wavelength and his new Channeler?_

Lamia looked at Tatsumi, who had just been whipped in the face by a swinging vine. Behind him Hilda stopped to glare at his apparent incompetence while Prince Belze blinked curiously in her arms.

_I do not understand,_ she confessed. _What do you want me to see, Doctor?_

At times like this Folcass wanted very much to huff. He settled by vibrating sharply instead. _Do you really not notice anything different?_

Lamia stared hard at Tatsumi, though in all honestly she wasn't really seeing him. The wavelength he emitted was exactly the same as the prince's; every modulation, every...

_Completely in phase?_

Folcass could have grinned. She swore that in her mind, he was grinning. _Exactly. Earlier although they were synchronized, their wavelengths had a phase difference. Now it's perfectly identical. _

_Superposition,_ she thought. That phenomenon would occur, but for some reason even in complete synchronization there was nothing out of the ordinary. _Even so, the boy is full of surprises, _Folcass remarked. _Without training, without knowledge, without any indication whatsoever he had somehow achieved the impossible. And he still doesn't know it. What would happen when he learns to harness that power?_ Folcass tone was almost rethorical, like he already knew the answer but wanted to hear it in her voice. Lamia struggled to make sense of it. _... I do not understand._

_Before, he was a criminal. Now he is a very powerful criminal. With Prince Belze's resources he can terrorize entire nations._

_Oga isn't like that! _She protested, stopping in her tracks so suddenly that Takayuki walked right into her. "Oof!" He staggered back. "Watch it!"

She mumbled an apology and kept her gaze straight ahead. _Oga may be a bandit. He may be rough around the edges but he isn't... he won't go on a rampage like you think._

_How do you know?_ Folcass demanded.

_I've known him for years. Given a choice between conquering a country and sleeping, he'd choose the latter every time._

Folcass chuckled, a deep, sinister sound. _Even now, with endless possibilities open to him?_

Lamia clamped her mouth shut and forcefully raised her mental shields, cutting their telepathic link. Truthfully? She didn't know. Power can do strange things to people. Who knows what kind of change Tatsumi will experience.

"I hear water," Aoi suddenly spoke up and Hidetora gave a whoop. "Dude, I smell water!"

Tatsumi sweat-dropped when his friend upped his effort to tear through the undergrowth. "What's the big deal, man? We got enough water to drink."

"But not enough to bathe," Hilda said simply and wrinkled her nose. "You should be rejoicing as well, Oga. You can finally wash away that terrible stink of yours."

"You're no bed of roses yourself, woman," He grumbled and yelped when she smacked the back of his head for it.

True enough at the end of the forest they spotted a river flowing merrily across their path. Before Tatsumi could even say 'Food!' Hidetora had charged forward, flinging his clothes away. By the time he jumped into the river, he had left a trail of clothes behind him, much to Tatsumi's chagrin. "Idiot."

"This is the border of River country," Aoi told him. "We must take precaution not to be seen, not even by a villager."

"Why not?" He blankly asked. "They got our wanted posters here or something?"

"No, not likely. Touhoushinki doesn't ally with St. Ishiyama or Makai. But the country is… well… it's best if we try to cross it as quickly as possible." She bit her lip and saw Hilda moving a little further upstream. "Where are you going, Hilda?"

The royal guard paused and her eyes fell first on the whooping Toujou and then the indifferent Tatsumi before saying levelly; "I wish for a little privacy."

"… Of course," Aoi colored slighly and trotted after her. Tatsumi watched them with a scowl before calling out; "Don't go too far!"

Her answer floated back, losing none of its sarcasm in the wind; "So tempting."

So it was that the weary party found a brief respite in the lovely lands of River Country. Trees heavy with foliage and fruit lent their refreshing shade and fragrance to their breeze, evoking a picture of Heaven to any who cared to pause and appreciate. Hidetora and Tatsumi were fooling about in the neck-deep river while the females were futher upstream, sheltered from prying eyes by reeds and boulders. Lamia, who found the need to only splash her face with water found a truly perplexing anomaly – Their resident skirt-chaser was _not_ chasing tail.

Strolling up to Takayuki, huddled over the map she leaned down teasingly. "Psst."

"Hm."

She hovered close to his ear and whispered; "Hilda and Princess Kunieda are upstream. Bathing."

"Uhuh."

She blinked and tested again. "Naked Hilda and Princess Kunieda."

"Where is that compass…"

She blew up that instant, clutching his face and forcing him to look at him. "Are you deaf? Are you even Furuichi? Who the heck are you?"

"Lemme go!" He gasped, tearing her hands away from his cheeks. "Naked women are fine and all, but I've got my life to worry about here!"

"Explain," She demanded and he shot her and irate look. "We're in River Country, the single most volatile allied-state of the Touhoushinki. Fights erupt at the drop of a hat and more people die a day than they do in a year in St. Ishiyama."

Lamia stared incredulously at him. "… You're kidding me, right?"

"I wish." Takayuki resumed poring over the map and consulting his notebook. "Frankly speaking I don't know which is more dangerous – staying to face the Rokkisei or being here. At least with the Rokkisei you can tell a tiger from a mouse but this - " He gestured with his hand; "You won't know what killed you until you're a breath away from death."

"Oh." Lamia leaned in to study the map and then looked around her at the lush peaceful scenery. "Hard to believe that."

"Believe it." He rubbed his head in frustration. "The seat of power is divided between two big families – the Himekawa and the Kugayama. As far as I know they've been at each other's throats for ages. Their territories are usually evenly balanced, so that puts us either in a good position or a shitty position; depending on your point of view."

She looked again at the map and instantly understood why he had been so irate. "We're close to the middle of the country."

"Right. We don't know on whose territory we landed on. I personally don't know the two of them so I can't say for sure," He sighed and rubbed his temples, closing his eyes deep in thought. Eventually he got up and began walking, causing Lamia to clutch at his ankle in alarm. "Where are you going?"

He looked down at her seriously. "… To peep."

It took her several seconds to process his words – so jarringly out of tune with the gravity of his expression. When she finally did her cheeks puffed out, her face reddened and she let loose with a; "IDIOT FURUICHI!"

Several things happened at once. Takayuki snapped his leg out of her grasp and loudly shushed Lamia. Hidetora let out a loud whoop when he managed to catch a large fish with his bare hands. Alaindelon, flying overhead suddenly let out a loud screech.

And Hilda's enraged shout completely drowned out everything else.

Tatsumi, who was crouching by the river stood up immediately, senses alert. "Hilda?"

Hidetora, still clutching the squirming fish blinked when he heard Aoi's cry. "Princess?"

Both men however were spared the indecision of 'to go or not to go' when several masked assailants burst out from the bushes and the water. With a roar Hidetora lashed out a kick, throwing a large amount of water around and adding to the confusion. Tatsumi however had zeroed on a target and his own foot had connected with said target's skull, throwing him a good fifteen feet away. Landing on the opposite bank of the river Tatsumi instantly gave chase only to be intercepted by more attackers. "The hell is going on?" He roared.

Meanwhile Lamia and Takayuki had rushed forward upon hearing Hilda's shout and was met with the strangest sight – A man was dangled above the water by a very angry Hilda, her grip around his throat. Aoi was struggling to dress herself though she had her katana in hand. "Lamia! Furuichi!"

Lamia was disgusted to see that Takayuki actually paused for a second to admire the still-dressing Aoi and the gloveless, bootless Hilda. Two more men were unconscious in the water – to be precise Hilda was standing on top of one and the other's head was buried in the riverbed. "We are under attack," Hilda stated in annoyance. "Honestly, can we not have a moment's peace without someone trying to kill us?"

"This is Himekawa's men," Aoi was examining one of the unconscious assailants. "These men carry his insignia."

Lamia looked over her shoulder to see Tatsumi and Hidetora finishing off their own attackers. "Those men aren't dressed the same," She observed but suddenly covered her mouth in confusion. "This…!"

Takayuki stumbled and fell to his knees, suddenly feeling weak. "…!"

Hilda and Aoi too felt the same strange boneless effect as they slumped down; glassy-eyed and numb.

Lamia managed a; "OGA! TORA!" before she coughed and passed out.

Tatsumi heard Lamia's cry and started to move forward but was stopped by Dr. Folcass jumping on his shoulder. "Don't!" The Mu cautioned. "That plashe ish shurrounded by nerve gash. You won't be able to reash them."

"Nerve gas." Hidetora was examining one of the attackers he had just punched the daylights out of. "That kind of dirty tactic is Himekawa's style. These guys aren't his though," He lifted the man's right arm and showed Tatsumi a tattoo. "This is Kugayama's man."

"I don't get any of this," Tatsumi said bluntly and Hidetora scratched his head. "…If it's Himekawa, then the girls are probably fine."

"Who cares about the girls?" Tatsumi snapped. "Belze is there and if they take him I'm gonna be killed!"

"Worry not," Dr. Folcass blinked. "The prince should be unconschious from the gash. Sho long ash you get to him before he wakesh up, you will be fine."

Eventually the gas cleared but as expected the girls plus Takayuki was gone. Lying near the banks was Alaindelon in bird form, clearly passed out from trying to help his mistress. Hidetora strode back to one of his attackers and slapped him awake. "Oi."

Upon waking up the man gave a shriek and curled up in fear. "Stop! I give in!"

"Take me to Kugayama," He demanded and the man trembled. "No one is allowed to see Lord Kugayama, he won't – "

"He will," Hidetora frowned and glanced at Tatsumi who stood nearby. Sighing, he dropped the man who immediately fell to his knees. Hidetora showed the man his right shoulder. With a muttered spell an orange insignia suddenly appeared, glowing and pulsing with energy. Upon seeing the insignia the man trembled even more. "You – You are - !"

"That's right. Tell him Toujou Hidetora, head of Tiger Country wants an audience."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for your patience, all who have waited *bows* Do review, I'd love to know your opinions!


	21. Unravel Me

**Grow On You**

Chapter 21

~ Unravel Me ~

Author's Note: After a lengthy hiatus I return with the continuation of this. My apologies for the lack of updates, but honestly I had a huge problem writing Himekawa, unable to make him into the kind of person Aoi would detest. And so I abandoned it. Until I finally saw The Avengers (yes I'm so behind, I know) and knew exactly how I wanted Himekawa to be. The kind of arrogance and 'I-hold-you-in-the-palm-of-my-hand' persona, and like Loki, he has a backstory.

So onwards, and I wish you well!

* * *

Zenjyuurou was afraid of very few things. Very few. He could count them on one hand - His ex-wife being one. Another was King Belze the Third in a bad mood. He was also afraid of thunder, but will only admit it under pain of death. In short, it takes a lot to make his heart pound and his palms sweat and his teeth chatter at the promise of unthinkable pain.

This...

He stood in the destroyed encampment, unable to comprehend the scale of destruction before his eyes. Tents - or what were once tents - littered the muddied ground. A faint mist tinged with the acrid smell of burning tinted everything in a mournful, sinister gloom. Zenjyuurou stared closely at the earth and twitched. Mud. And blood. And unless his senses were lying, there was more blood than mud.

It hadn't been long since the last messenger from the North campaign. The journey there by dragon only took one day. Knowing the strength of the North, Zenjyuurou found it hard to believe that in one day their army was overwhelmed, overpowered and crushed. No, this was something else. He picked his way through the wreckage, cautiously weaving towards what would have been the king's tent. That too, was just a tattered mess surrounded by lifeless, motionless bodies.

Years on the battlefield had made him numb to the scene of carnage. But this time it was different – this time he was looking at the possibility of the one man he never dreamed would be hurt, _could_ be hurt. "Your majesty!" He called loudly. When his voice reached naught, he tried a little harder. "Oi, brat!"

No answer. It was death-silence echoing in the space and Zenjyuurou's heart clenched. Surely the enemy was not this strong. He knew General Jabberwock was leading the army, and the man was no nicknamed 'Mad Dragon' for nothing. Surely, _surely_…

Closing his eyes, he concentrated on sweeping the area. Folcass had always commented on his lack of finesse in wavelength sensing – how Zenjyurou would fail against Hilda when it comes to accuracy. He could not detect the king's soul signature, but there was a faint...

Following the wavelength, he found himself at a wrecked tent not too far from the King's. In a flash he got next to a body lying facedown in the mud. With not much effort he rolled the body over and checked the vitals. Alive. Injured, if his bruises and cuts and burns had any say in it. Merely unconscious. There was relief at that - finding a survivor but angry that there WAS a survivor. "Oi," He shook the man, not caring if it would do more damage than good.

"Get up, Jabberwock!"

* * *

Silence hung in the air like a wet blanket. Tension dripped, down the wrinkled brown of the grandmaster, sticking to his robes, making his fingers slip.

"Check."

If the elderly man was nervous earlier, he was completely paralyzed now. Cold sweat gathered on his wrinkled brow as he numbly stared at the playing board, its expertly arranged pieces now spelling his doom.

Across the board the young golden-haired youth waited patiently. His solemn eyes gave nothing away even as he silently confirmed his victory. But then again, one cannot be called victorious if the other side does not admit defeat.

There was a very lengthy silence as the grandmaster vainly tried to find an escape from the trap his opponent had so cunningly cornered him into. He had only been coaching the young lord for a month and lo!

"... I concede defeat, milord," He finally choked out. The audience of one wondered just how much of his pride was now in tatters, having to admit loss to a boy not even half his age.

But even as a child Kugayama had never been ordinary. From an early age he had shown exceptional intelligence and is gifted in military strategy - so much so that from the day he took reign of their lands their borders had never been breached. Not once.

When Kugayama did not deign the grandmaster with a response, his attendant quietly ushered the man out of the room. Outside, Kugayama's female aid quietly led the shaking grandmaster to the front doors and paused, one elegant hand barring the old man's path. "You may tell others that the match Lord Kugayama ended in a draw," She said quietly. "That is his lordship's reward to you."

Almost instantly color returned to his palid face and the old man nearly grovelled at her feet. "Thank you! thank you! Lord Kugayama is truly generous!"

The attendant watched the relieved grandmaster leave through the main gates before returning to her lord's side. The rest of the court had dispersed - perhaps in search of entertainment - leaving only Lord Kugayama and his faithful pet; a large, bronze monster of a dog that only Lord Kugayama could control. Upon her entry Lord Kugayama signalled to her. "Has there been any news from the Other Side, Runa?"

Runa, as her name was, paused and shook her head. "Our spies have yet to return any news, milor - " Her words were promptly cut short by the arrival of a slightly-out-of-breath, more-than-pale border patrol captain. He knelt behind the door, awaiting orders to be admitted.

Runa faced the border patrol captain with arms on her hips. "Do you have something to report?"

"Ma'am," The captain bowed his head; "We encountered tresspassers near the central border. One of them has requested an audience with Lord Kugayama."

Runa incredulously raised an eyebrow. "And you... what? Escorted him here?"

There was a trembling in his limbs that could be visibly seen. "Yes, Ma'am. The tresspasser..." He gulped; "Is Lord Toujou of Tiger State."

Runa dropped her arms in surprise.

Kugayama however, was completely calm. "Runa, please ensure our visitors are treated properly."

The attendant could not find the words to reply, instead she bowed and hastily took her leave.

For someone who is angry, Tatsumi was unnervingly calm, Hidetora reflected. While it wasn't surprising, it certainly is a paradox. The man loses his head at childish provocations but can maintain his cool under extreme pressure. Currently Tatsumi sat on one of the plush cushions in the receiving chamber, his expression unreadable. He had been silent throughout the journey, but it was the kind of silence that literally screamed of 'deep thought'.

In all his years of knowing Tatsumi, Hidetora could safely say that this was a side of the man rarely seen. Tatsumi did not like to think - let alone deeply. But events in the past few weeks had not given him the luxury of being flippant. He had been coerced into coming along on this bizzare adventure, his life in the balance. The prospect of a painful death would sober even the worst drunk.

The door opened and an elegantly-dressed woman came in. Like their surroundings, she was the very image of opulence and class. Hidetora couldn't help but compare her to Aoi - the princess was not particularly classy or extravagant, but she was without a doubt, royalty.

The woman took one moment to size them both up before asking; "To whom do I address Lord Toujou?"

Ah, Toujou blinked. Kugayama was not the real ruler of River Country, hence he had never met Toujou. With that in mind the man stood up. "I am Toujou."

"An honor," The woman respectfully bowed low. "I am Runa, attendant of Lord Kugayama. Please come this way." She cast a sidelong glance at Oga, who had stood up as well. "Your companion is also welcome." She indicated.

The walk to Kugayama's chamber was, had Oga been in a relaxed frame of mind - breathtaking to say the least. Lush foliage overshadowed dancing streams and creeks, the murmur of running water a soothing background to their walk. Servants bowed as they passed, each movement elegant and perfectly executed. In comparison Toujou felt like an ambling bear. He almost knocked into several hanging wind chimes and silently cursed, ducking. All this registered in Tatsumi's mind but had no effect on his emotions. There was a coiled spring in him that tightened with every passing moment. Though but a mere memory now, the pain when Baby Belze was separated from him earlier was fresh in his mind. It was not something he wanted to experience again, hence he must find the baby. And there really was no better way to find the baby than to find Hilda. A baby is not really that easy to track, but a volatile, blonde woman with swordsmanship and magic would stand out like a tree in the desert.

Runa showed them into a large stately chamber, where Kugayama sat on a raised platform. If he was surprised to see Toujou, he wasn't showing it.

Toujou stood facing the platform and studied the young man. Sharp elegant features, almost feminine in build but statuesque in nature stared back at him. He had expected someone large - perhaps along the lines of Himekawa - but this is almost a child. "Kugayama," He acknowledged with a curt bow. Kugayama on his part did the same. "Lord Toujou. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"Eh, wait," Oga suddenly burst out with a frown. "You're Lord Kugayama?" He stared at the youth, who arched an eyebrow. "I am Kugayama, current head of the family."

"But..."

"Have respect for the lord, you ingrate," Runa snapped. "You should not interrupt the lord!"

"That is alright, Runa," Kugayama raised a hand to still his servant. "He is Lord Toujou's companion," An amused glint appeared in his eyes; "As uncouth as he seems."

"We need help," Hidetora said bluntly. "Some of our companions were taken by Himekawa earlier. I want to find them."

"... You're getting ahead of yourself, Lord Toujou," Kugayama produced a fan and with a flick of his wrist snapped it open. "Coming into my domain and so brashly demanding things - I'd say you're being extremely rude."

"Your people attacked me," Hidetora pointed out. "You owe me an apology."

"You tresspassed on my territory." Kugayama's stare was sharp behind the elegant fan. "I think you owe _me_ an apology."

"Alright stop!" Tatsumi suddenly growled, chopping the air between the two bristling leaders. "I don't care who owes what to whom but time's tickin' here. All we want is help locating Himekawa's hidey-hole."

"Fool. Do you think he would still be leader of River Country if I knew how to find him?" Kugayama snarled. "He hides himself with magic, the glamor strong enough to confuse my strongest magicians. I commend you on your effort to enlist my aid, but I'm afraid I cannot help you."

"Magic," Tatsumi could feel his patience thinning to a fine edge. Again it was magic that got in his way. Again magic making things so much harder than it should be. "I - "

"Perhapsh you have been going about it the wrong way," An adorable voice piped up and Kugayama stiffened in shock. "What in the name of - "

Folcass perked up from under Tatsumi's jacket. The man blinked - he had totally forgotten about the doctor. Almost instantly there was a girly shriek and both men turned to Kugayama - only he was no longer there. Surprised, Hidetora quickly searched and saw the man peeking out from behind a curtain, trembling in fear. "What is that?" He squealed in a shrill, strange voice. "Get it away from me!"

Runa immediately lunged for Folcass, who thanks to his slippery form merely evaded her attempts. Hidetora chose to step away from the madness, though Tatsumi, being Folcass' chosen carrier tried to keep Runa from getting at the Mu. "Quit it, will ya!" Tatsumi finally grabbed her arm and skilfully tossed her onto the floor, pinning her down. "It's a Mu!"

"I don't think anyone here has ever seen a Mu," Hidetora remarked and shook his head. "Lord Kugayama, it's fine. This creature is a healer from the kingdom of Makai. He travels with us."

"I don't care what it is, it's disgusting!" Kugayama wailed, still refusing to step out from behind the curtain. Hidetora blinked. "You're being kinda girly. It's creeping me out."

"That," Tatsumi struggled with a rebellious Runa; "Is 'cause she IS a girl."

Runa went still and Folcass, had he any expression would have looked very disapproving. Hidetora's gaze never left Kugayama, who was still trembling behind the curtain.

"… You're kidding me, right?" He breathed.

* * *

There was an extravagance to the decor that was borderline sickening.

That was the first thought that came to Aoi's mind as she emerged into the world of the waking. Garish carvings adorned the walls and ceiling, their golden and silver gilt clashing horribly with the deep purple of the drapes. Strength seeped into her arms and she faintly reached for her sword - only to find the space where it should be, empty.

That jolted out the last of the drug from her brain. Sitting up, she sharply surveyed her surroundings, swiftly retracing the events leading up to her present condition. River. A bath. Attackers, and finally...

"Hello, princess."

Two words that for all it's worth, shot her like an arrow and she immediately leapt off the bed and dropped into a defensive stance facing her enemy. Even after recognizing who it was, she continued to defend. For never once did she truly feel safe around this man, not even when she was flanked by her guards.

"... Himekawa," She hissed.

Himekawa Tatsuya, lord of River Country stood in front of a tapestry that no doubt concealed the exit to the room. He was just as she remembered, having met him only a fortnight before her trip to St. Ishiyama. Tall, silver hair styled in a ridiculous pompadour and garbed in robes that were as garish as they were expensive. Aoi did not like the man very much, and she never hid that fact. "What is the meaning of this, Himekawa?" She demanded quietly. He took a step into the room, gesturing grandly towards the decor that caught Aoi's attention earlier. "What do you think? The last time you were here the walls were decorated in Reddo fashion but you didn't seem to care for it. As you can see, I had it changed." He looked smug.

"You are aware that you are violating our treaty," She continued, ignoring his comment about the room. "Attacking me, keeping me prisoner - "

"Alright, that's quite enough." She didn't know when he moved, but suddenly the man was right in her face, shocking the words right out of her mind. "Do sit down princess, I don't want you to injure yourself. That would really be a violation of the treaty right there." With a firm hand, he made her sit on the edge of the bed while he sauntered over to a chair and made himself comfortable. There was silence for awhile, Aoi tensely gripping the edges of the bed and Tatsuya clearly enjoying his domination over the princess. "I apologize for the attack, but that is the _only_ thing I will apologize for," He steepled his fingers in front of him, keeping his gaze on her even. "Unless you have suddenly gone blind - which you have nicely demonstrated you are not - you are a guest here. An _honored_ guest," He emphasized as if she was a dimwitted wench. The subtle jab was not lost on Aoi and her jaw tightened, clearly thinking murderous thoughts.

"And as for the attack, I wish to assure you that it was not meant to be hostile against Reddo. My men did not recognize you in those awful clothes, you see," He smiled (with teeth) and Aoi twitched. Again he had cut her, and again she could not refute it. After countless battles her clothes had really taken a beating - literally. "I demand to know the reason for the attack then, if it was not _hostile_," She sneered out the last word as a little revenge on his snide remarks earlier.

Tatsuya grinned. "My men had orders to bring in any fair-haired maiden they chance upon. Unfortunately this particular fair-haired maiden is very feisty, hence the need for... ah - force."

Fair-haired. Feisty. Alarm shot through her. "What have you done with Hilda!?"

"Oh, is that her name?" Tatsuya chuckled. "Hilda. A lovely name, very fitting. Pity she is so ferocious."

"Where is she?"

"Safe," Tatsuya waved a hand dismissively. "I suppose you will not apologize on her behalf? She took out three of my men before we could sedate her."

The news gave Aoi some satisfaction, but not much. "Three is not enough to warrant an apology," She raised an eyebrow. "Hilda usually does more damage than that."

"Ohhh, exciting," Aoi almost gagged at the unbridled glee in his tone. His next words only elevated her worry however. "But she is safe, as is the other two, and the baby."

The baby! In a flash Aoi was at his throat, her hand dearly wishing to squeeze the arrogance out of him. "If you harm them, if you do anything to hurt them - "

"This is new, princess," Even with her grip around his neck Tatsuya continued to appear calm. Amused even. "You, losing your temper over something so trivial. May I venture that you are in no position to threaten me?" He placed a hand on her wrist and firmly but forcefully squeezed it, forcing Aoi to withdraw her grip. "The way I see it, you are travelling with a group of people, none of which are part of your usual entourage. What can I make of this then?"

She glared into his eyes, unable to stand against the malice she could see in them. "You are travelling without Reddo's knowledge then." He grinned in relish. "Because I know you would never pass through my lands without notifying me first if this was a normal crossing. So how about it, princess?"

"Let me go," She said flatly. "With the others that you have captured."

"Oh, you've always been a poor negotiator," Tatsuya chuckled, clearly delighting in twisting her emotions. "Here is my deal; I allow you and the happy family to pass, but Hilda stays."

"You cannot!" Her eyes flashed.

"Then you can remain here, with them," Tatsuya's eyes took on a darker glint; "Or I can kill you and nobody will know."

"You won't dare!" Aoi growled and caught herself. Seeing her waver, Tatsuya stood up and walked to the door. "I will give you some time to think. Should you try to leave or contact the others, I will no longer see you as a guest." He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder, on hand massaging his throat. "You really should be careful, princess. You were so close to breaking the treaty there..."

She stood alone, rage and despair her only companions.

* * *

**Preview:**

Hidetora and Tatsumi stared at her, unable to comprehend. It was Tatsumi who finally broke the silence.

"You're telling me that this whole shit, this whole 'nation-divided' fiasco is just _that_!?"


	22. The Sacrifices We Make

**Grow On You**

**Chapter 22**

~ The Sacrifices We Make ~

Author's Note: And we continue. This chapter is a little dark I'm afraid, but Hidetora does try to lighten it up. Enjoy this chapter and do tell me what you think.

* * *

If the palace was a heart, its beat would be best described as erratic. Irregular. Servants running everywhere and whispering. Soldiers shouting as they scrambled for order. Should one stop to truly take in their surroundings the tension was palpable, almost _visible _in its intensity. Distress. Anguish. Fear. Careening from one extreme to the other as if nobody could settle on what was the right emotion what should they do whatwhatwhat -

General Behemoth strode through all this calmly like a shark cutting through troubled water. He did not hurry nor did he fret. The servants cowered away from him, unable to comprehend how he could remain stoic despite the disaster that had befallen the kingdom. _He is a man of many winters,_ they whisper. _He has seen more battles than most. The rise and fall of kings mean little to him._

He approached the throne room and entered, keeping his sight on the boy sitting on the throne. Ill-fitting but perfectly suitable, he thought as he bowed to Prince En. "Your Highness, I take it you have heard the news?" He chose his words carefully, knowing that the high-strung temperament of the prince made delivering bad news extremely difficult.

Prince En was pale. He had been so since Hilda's defection, but truly the boy, ignorant as he was, was actually feeling the strain of ruling. "Yes," His voice was hoarse and cracked . "Father, Mother… they have… _fallen_ at the hands of the enemy." There was incredulity, disbelief. Behemoth understood. Emperor Beelzebub the Third was, despite his erratic nature – a powerhouse. His strength led many to believe he would never lose… he could not possibly die. Should the news come from any other messenger Prince En would have him beheaded on the spot, but this was Lord Saotome. The Channeler who had sworn his life to the King, for better or for worse. There was no room for doubt, as difficult as it was to believe.

"Lord Saotome is bringing back Jabberwock as we speak." Behemoth said softly with great remorse. "He has also recovered the king and queen. I have despatched an Akbaba squad to bring back as many of our soldiers as we can…"

At the mention of the King and Queen the young prince began trembling mightily, supressing the first signs of an anguished wail. His attendants immediately tried to console him, leaving Behemoth to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I implore you my prince, please keep calm. It is a time of chaos and the people must see you as a steady anchor. Should you lose your strength here our kingdom will be in grave danger."

Clearly easier said than done. Prince En had never been one to control his emotions, let alone fake them. Behemoth decided to let the three Royal Guards handle the grieving prince. He had other matters to concern with, mainly the damage taken by his son.

"General," Prince En suddenly called out, halting the general in his retreat. "…Milord?"

"I am sure you are also disturbed by your son's injuries," Prince En struggled with his words and his tears and Behemoth took a deep breath. "… I am," He said finally and turned before anyone could see his true face.

_But not for the reason you think._

* * *

Calming down Lord (or Lady) Kugayama took longer than Hidetora thought it would. She was hysterically terrified of slimy things and wouldn't come out from behind the curtain until Tatsumi lost his patience, grabbed a nearby tablecloth and wrapped up the Mu like a baby, leaving only a small portion exposed. Folcass wasn't happy but he relented.

Kugayama slowly returned to her seat, visibly shaken. "…What is that creature?"

"I told you, it's a Mu, but it's not really a Mu. It's – "Hidetora stopped and looked at Tatsumi, who blandly supplied; "It's a magical Mu."

"A magical Mu, and it's name is Folcass," Hidetora sighed. "And it's smart. Like, really smart."

"If you will tell me your methodsh of sherching for the hidden fortresh, it will be very helpful," Folcass said, earning a tremble from Kugayama. "… Runa," She managed, and the attendant took Folcass from Tatsumi. "I do not mean to be rude but," Kugayama gripped the cushion she was sitting on; "Please take your time," She whispered.

Comical. Tatsumi would have laughed if it was any other situation, but he was finding very little humor in anything at the moment. Anything could go 'boom', including his dear self. And Tatsumi liked his life too much to have it wasted by some royal baby with proximity issues. But seeing Kugayama's predicament, he figured unless she stopped thinking about the Mu they would never get anywhere. "So how long have you and this Himekawa dude been enemies?"

"… since we were children, I suppose?" She had regained some of her composure now that Folcass was gone. "I am the only heir to the Kugayama family, hence I was raised as a boy. I was instructed never to reveal myself, not even after my father, the previous head passed away. I've carried on the deception for so long that it is unthinkable that you…" She glared at Tatsumi and the man could hear her unspoken 'uncouth lout' hanging in the air; "… could see through it so easily."

"How did you see it?" Hidetora curiously scratched his cheek, looking at Tatsumi. The Channeler could only blink. "No idea. I just knew she wasn't a guy, that's all."

"I implore you to keep this secret," Kugayama looked grim. "If word gets out that I am female, my fight to unify the country will be for nothing."

"Hardly matters to me whether you're one or the other," Tatsumi said blankly. "I don't get it though. You want to unify this place?"

She smiled wryly. "I call it 'unification', Himekawa calls it 'assimilation.'" She rubbed her temples. "Lord Toujou, are you familiar with our history?"

"Nope. Never needed to know," Hidetora shrugged.

"… The previous rulers of River Country were brothers," Kugayama bit her lip. "They came here and established the state, dividing the rule between them. Thus the creation of the Himekawa and Kugayama houses."

"… So you and Himekawa are… what, cousins?"

"That we are." Kugayama had found her fan again and was absently tapping the floor with it. "My mother could not bear children after me, hence my father was determined to raise me as a man."

"Look, not to be rude or anything but I don't see how this has anything to do with _our_ problem." Tatsumi frowned.

Kugayama took a deep breath and focused on the issue at hand. "Your comrades who were kidnapped – is a fair-haired woman among them?"

Hidetora and Tatsumi exchanged looks before the latter mumbled; "Well I wouldn't call her a woman – more like a demon – but she is fair-haired. Blonde, green eyes."

"Then I apologize, for the fault is mine," Kugayama shifted uncomfortably. "Years ago when I was a child I stole out from the castle and met Himekawa. He did not recognize me and I was afraid to tell him I was his cousin, who he believes to be a boy."

Hidetora blinked. Tatsumi frowned slightly. Kugayama grimaced and continued; "I spent the whole day with him and when we parted, I promised we would meet again. Unfortunately when I returned, my father was livid at my disobedience. I could not keep that promise to Himekawa…" She hesitated. "I did not know, I did not realize that that one day left such an impression on him. He holds to the promise until this very day, searching for 'me'." Kugayama stood up and began slowly pacing the width of the room. The two men stared at her suspiciously. "He kidnaps fair-haired girls because he's looking for you?" Tatsumi asked incredulously. "What kind of messed up shit does he have for brains?"

Kugayama laughed bitterly. "Have care with your words, Oga. His obsession with me has lead to this very problem you face."

"Not to state the obvious but… why don't you just tell him?" Hidetora scratched his head. Kugayama shot him a withering look. "Out of the question. What happens should I reveal to him my secret? He may accept it, but then the unification of the state will be on his terms. I cannot have that. The Kugayama name cannot disappear."

Hidetora finally saw it and could not stop his jaw from hanging slack. "I can't believe it."

"Pride." Tatsumi growled. "You're keeping him in the dark simply because you're too damn proud to bow to him?"

"He is not fit to rule!" She finally snapped. "He only sees money and not the people's well-being. If I tell him who I am he will never listen to me as a woman's mind is always beneath a man's. No, my chances are to win and take his half of the state. THEN I will reveal who I am, no sooner."

Hidetora and Tatsumi could only stare mutely at the woman whose spirit was ablaze with determination. They were spared from Kugayama's tirade however, when Runa returned. "Milord, Folcass – "

"_Doctor_," Hidetora and Tatsumi corrected her together. Runa blanched and tried again. "Doctor Folcass is in discussion with our magi. He expects it to be… long." She cast a glance at the two men and straightened her spine. "I suggest we house our guests here tonight, Lord Kugayama."

"… Prepare rooms for them then." Kugayama sighed and turned to Hidetora. "Will you receive our hospitality tonight?" Seeing Tatsumi's frown, she added consolingly; "I understand your urgency, but as the current situation hinges on your… doctor, is it not best that you get some rest?"

Hidetora conceded and allowed himself to be lead out. Tatsumi began to follow but stopped at the door. He turned and regarded Kugayama standing by the window, her face a mask of stony indifference. "Are you regretting it?" He asked suddenly and she frowned. "What should I be regretting?"

"Meeting Himekawa the way you did."

Kugayama stared at Tatsumi in amazement. They had not known each other for more than a day and yet he was peeling away her layers so easily, demanding her to lay her heart bare. "Why do you ask that? Does it matter?"

He kept his silence and Kugayama slowly drew breath. She did not need to tell him anything. Her secret was hers alone.

"It was the happiest day of my life," The words fell from her lips. In that moment she knew it was right. He could peel back and see her inside, see her hurting.

She closed her eyes and did not open them until Tatsumi had left the room, taking his silence with him.

* * *

Hilda felt the weight of the shackles binding her arms even before she was fully conscious. Again, she had been overpowered. With irony she thought that she was feeling that way more and more lately. "… Lamia?" Her voice was rough, her throat dry from hours of disuse. She could sense the wavelengths of Lamia, Prince Belze and Takayuki but none else. It meant that at least, Hidetora and Tatsumi were not captured.

As her eyes adjusted to what little light was available to her, she found that she was in a bare room with a tiny slot near the top for air. Most importantly, the prince and Lamia were nowhere to be seen.

She flexed her sore arms experimentally and found the restrictions to be tighter than before. Earlier when she had awoken she went berserk, breaking her flimsy restraints and perhaps injuring a few people. Now even her magic was nullified. Uttering a profane oath she saw that even her feet were bound now.

"You're awake now, Hilda?"

She looked up to see the door open and a strange man with a pompadour standing there with a tray of food. He was smiling, yet it was not a smile that reassured Hilda. "I am Himekawa," He made a sweeping bow while keeping the tray steady. "Leader of River Country."

"… Where are the others?" She demanded coldly.

"Safe."

Safe. She looked around, trying to sift through the jumble in her mind. "… How long have I been in here?"

Tatsuya pondered whether to tell her the truth… and saw no harm in it. "Almost a day. You recover from the sedatives very quickly. Usually people will be out cold for days."

She eyed him warily, noticing that although he was approaching her, he still kept his distance. Afraid. He was afraid of her. "Why have you captured us?" She shifted her legs to the side; "We are just travellers, we have nothing of value on us."

"You call the Princess of Reddo 'nothing of value'?"

"The princess is not an object, she is our travelling companion," She gave him a glare that could freeze glaciers. "And since you know she is with us, why continue this farce?"

Tatsuya stared at her for a moment before bowing his head with a chuckle. "So similar, both of you. So strong," He purred and leaned forward, but infuriatingly still out of striking distance. "But your beauty – worlds apart," His gaze travelled down her body and Hilda could not help but feel disgusted at the way he was mentally undressing her. "I have been searching, you see," He said in almost a whisper. "A fair-haired maiden whom I met long ago, who promised me her heart." He seemed to find himself again as his gaze returned to her face. "But I couldn't find her. I keep searching and searching…" He reached out and teased a lock of golden hair between his thumb and forefinger. "I'm tired of searching now."

Hilda had let him ramble, but now found it fit to interject. "Do not touch me," She snarled. Tatsuya laughed and defiantly caressed her cheek. "Your beauty, your fire, everything about you is breathtaking. I will happily settle for you, nothing less."

Without warning Hilda suddenly slammed her head against his face with a grunt. Tatsuya jerked back, clutching his face in pain. "You…! You bitch!"

"I said don't touch me," Hilda gasped, feeling a little disoriented from the effort. "Come close to me again and I'll do much worse."

Tatsuya started to say something but stopped, and then began to laugh. And laugh, and laugh, until Hilda was certain her headbutt did more damage than she thought it would.

"I see you are not easy to break. No matter, the conquest is half the fun," His voice was nasally, but gratingly sinister all the same. "You say they are your travelling companions, but to me they are just insects," The gleam in his eyes was chilling. "I want you and only you, the rest be damned."

She suddenly realized where he was going and somehow got to her knees in alarm. "No!"

"Yes," He countered. "If you want the lives of your _companions_ spared then think very carefully how you behave the next time I come, _Hilda_."

"Wait!" She cried, the wheels in her head turning furiously. _Her, and only her_. "Allow the others to go free. Do this, and I will be yours. Willingly."

He dropped his hand from his face and she saw that it was bloodied. "You think I will believe you so easily? After your behaviour with my men… with me?"

"The safety of the others before my own," She said fiercely, thinking of the baby prince. She would have to assume that Lamia is guarding the prince, but Lamia is not strong enough. In her mind she was focusing on only one thought – to get the prince to the man who can protect the prince. She must send the prince to Tatsumi, no matter the cost. "I will keep my word. Set the others free."

Upon seeing Tatsuya's unmoving form, she realized he wanted proof of her submission. She stood still as he approached her and did not even wince when he roughly grabbed the back of her head and tilted her head upwards to meet his icy gaze. "_Bow before me._" He breathed.

Humiliation colored her skin and her first impulse was to headbutt him again. Hurt him for demanding her to lower herself beneath him. She was a Royal Guard, the protector and caretaker of Prince Beelzebub the Fourth!

But the prince was in danger.

The prince must be saved.

Slowly she unwillingly lowered herself to her knees and leaned forward until her forehead almost touched the floor. Exposed, humiliated, unbearably humbled.

"Please," She whispered, realizing that her voice was broken. She was begging, at the feet of her captor. "Let them go free."

Himekawa's victorious chuckle grated her ears and sheared her heart, but she swallowed her shame, held her tears of frustration at bay.

_For the prince._


End file.
